India’s women’s kabaddi team clinched gold while the men settled for silver at the Asian Beach Games 2026 in Sanya on Monday.
The Indian women’s team produced a dominant performance to defeat Sri Lanka 47-31 in the final, successfully defending their title and extending their unbeaten run to six consecutive editions. Led by Ritu, the six-member squad held a narrow 20-18 lead at half-time before pulling away decisively in the second half.
India had earlier advanced to the final with a commanding 50-31 win over Bangladesh in the semi-finals. Alongside Ritu, the squad featured Manisha Kumari, Simran Kamboj, Manpreet Kaur, Nikita and Nikita Chauhan.
Men fall short against Iran in final
In the men’s competition, India finished with silver after a 44-31 defeat to Islamic Republic of Iran in the final. The Indian side, led by Brijendra Singh Choudhary, trailed 23-11 at the break and were unable to recover.
The men’s team had reached the final with a convincing 50-27 victory over Pakistan in the semi-finals. The squad also included Jitendra Yadav, Yatharth Deshwal, Neeraj, Jai Bhagwan and Bhanu Pratap Tomar.
India fielded a 31-member contingent at the Games across disciplines including 3×3 basketball, sailing and beach wrestling. The kabaddi medals marked the country’s first podium finishes at this edition.
Organised by the Olympic Council of Asia, the Asian Beach Games returned after a decade, having last been held in 2016.
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