Aichi-Nagoya, Sept 22:
India added four medals on the second full day of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, taking its overall tally to six, although the country was still searching for its first gold.
Shooting once again provided the bulk of the medals. Former wrestler Himanshu Dhillon won silver in the men’s 10m air rifle individual event, while Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze. The duo, along with Parth Mane, had earlier combined to win silver in the team event.
There was also a historic medal in mixed martial arts. Suchika Tariyal became the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in MMA, securing bronze. Her semifinal against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon ended in a draw, but the Singaporean advanced to the final through a weight-based tiebreak, with the difference just 700 grams.
India’s four-medal haul on Day 2 took the tally to six, comprising five silver and one bronze. The challenge on the following days will be to convert strong starts, particularly in shooting and other medal-rich disciplines, into gold medals.