Asian Games: India's First Gold via Women's Cricket, First MMA Medal

Two milestones for India at the Asian Games 2026 on 22 September. The women's cricket team won gold, the country's first gold medal of this edition of the Games, and Suchika Tariyal won bronze in mixed martial arts (MMA), India's first-ever Asian Games medal in that sport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated both in separate messages.

Women's cricket: the first gold

The Prime Minister called the win "a splendid triumph for Indian cricket" and a commanding performance marked by confidence, skill and teamwork. He noted that it gave India its first gold of the Games and said the team would inspire countless young cricketers. Cricket at the Asian Games is played in the Twenty20 format, and India's women had also topped the podium at the previous Games in Hangzhou.

Mixed martial arts: a first for India

Suchika Tariyal's bronze is the first medal India has ever won in mixed martial arts at the Asian Games. The Prime Minister described it as a historic achievement that highlighted her dedication and zeal. MMA combines striking and grappling disciplines such as boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and its inclusion at the Games gives combat-sport athletes from India's wrestling and boxing traditions a new stage.

India's medal story so far

The 2026 Asian Games are the 20th edition and are being held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan.

What to remember for exams

Questions on multi-sport events usually turn on three things: who won the first medal of a colour for the country, which result was a first for a sport, and where the Games were held. For this edition, the women's cricket gold was India's first gold, Suchika Tariyal's bronze was India's first medal ever in mixed martial arts, and the host is Aichi–Nagoya in Japan. Keep the shooting silvers and bronze of the previous day alongside these, because a question may ask which sport opened India's medal account.