Nagoya, Sep 27: India ended the sprint programme at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with contrasting results in the women’s and men’s 200m finals on Sunday, as Harita Bhadra claimed bronze in a tight finish before Animesh Kujur placed fifth in a high-quality men’s race.

Harita clocked 23.20 seconds to secure the women’s 200m bronze, edging Japan’s sprinter by just one hundredth of a second. Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira took gold in 22.78s, while China’s Chen Yujie, the 100m champion at these Games, finished second in 22.93s.

The medal ended India’s wait for a podium finish in the women’s 200m at the Asian Games since Dutee Chand’s bronze at the 2018 edition. Harita, 23, also became only the sixth Indian woman to win a 200m medal at the continental event.

The Maharashtra sprinter entered the Games after lowering her personal best to 23.14s at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, where she won the national title. Her Asian Games bronze came with a time just 0.06 seconds slower than that mark.

Harita’s teammate Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland finished sixth in the final in 23.46s. After the race, Bolland was among the first to congratulate Harita, embracing her after the Indian secured the podium finish.

The men’s 200m final produced a different outcome for India, with Animesh Kujur finishing fifth in 20.80s.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson dominated the race to complete the 100m-200m sprint double. He stopped the clock at 19.88s, matching the Asian record, after having already set a new Games record during the qualifying round.

Animesh, who had progressed to the final after a strong showing in the heats, could not reproduce the pace required to challenge for the medals and ended his Asian Games 200m campaign in fifth place.

The Indian’s 20.80s finish came after a competition in which he had also advanced to the 100m semifinal earlier in the Games. For Harita, meanwhile, the bronze provided India with a rare sprint podium moment and capped her first Asian Games appearance with a medal.

Nagoya (Japan), Sep 25: India’s Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamal jeet revealed how coach Samaresh Jung helped them put the disappointment of missing out on the individual 10m air pistol final behind them as they combined to win the mixed team gold with an Asian record at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Friday.

The Indian duo delivered a stunning performance in the 10m air pistol mixed team final, scoring 484.6 to set a new Asian record and claim gold. South Korea’s Choo Gaeun and Hong Suhyeon won silver with 478.0, while Iran’s Rostamyan Haniyeh and Golkhandan Vahid took bronze with 415.8.

The result came after both Suruchi and Kamaljeet failed to qualify for the individual 10m air pistol final, but Jung urged them to treat it as the past and focus on the opportunity ahead.

“The coach told me before the match that yesterday’s match was already over. What’s the point of thinking about it now? Focus on the next day. It’s not like you only have to win the gold. Everyone is here to play. You just have faith in yourself and follow your technique. You will get the gold,” Kamaljeet replied to an media query during a media interaction.

Suruchi said the coach’s message was simple: dwelling on the past would only affect their next opportunity.

“He said the setback is past. If we think about it, we will ruin our future. That match is over. If we think about it and ruin the next, we won’t get a medal,” Suruchi said.

The duo also rewrote the Asian record on the way to the gold. Suruchi said neither shooter was thinking about the record during the final as they remained focused on their own screens and technique.

“Nothing happens during the match. During the match, we don’t look at the screen. We don’t look at the scoreboard or anything else. We don’t look at anyone else’s screen. We focus on what comes on our screen,” she said in a media interaction.

“There was no such thing as coming behind the record or coming on the record. There was no such thing. After the match, it was on the scoreboard that I scored a new record. So, it was a good thing that I scored a new record,” she added.

Earlier in qualification, the Indian pair had broken the Asian Games Qualification Record with a score of 587 (29 inner 10s), surpassing the previous mark of 577 set by fellow Indians Sarabjot Singh and Divya Subbaraju at Hangzhou 2023. Their qualification score also equalled the Asian record of 587 set by Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker in 2021.

For Kamaljeet, the gold medal was also a tribute to his family, particularly his father, whose support helped him continue shooting through difficult financial circumstances. “His role is the most important in my life. If he didn’t support me, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Kamaljeet said.

“I don’t have a good family situation. I had an accident and had to spend four to five lakh. It was on loan. He didn’t tell me where the money would come from. He supported me and told me to focus on my shooting,” he added. “My family is my biggest support. They supported me. That’s how I got my medal. Otherwise, I would have quit shooting four years ago.”

Suruchi also credited her parents, particularly her father, who served in the army and introduced her to shooting. “My father’s role is very important. He served in the army. Then he started helping with my shooting. My younger brother also shoots. He was always with me. He helped me a lot. He never left me alone. He was always with me. My parents supported me a lot,” Suruchi said.

The families of both shooters were quick to celebrate the achievement after the final. “We talked to them at home first. We had a few interviews after the match. When we got free from there, we talked to them at home first. My family was very happy. They were enjoying it,” Kamaljeet said.

The gold added another major medal to India’s shooting campaign at the Asian Games and gave Suruchi and Kamaljeet a memorable response to their individual disappointment, with their 484.6 score ensuring they returned to the podium in record-breaking fashion.

Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal impressed again as bigwigs kicked off their Champions League 2026-27 campaign with wins.

Yamal scored and provided two assists as Barcelona defeated Feyenoord 5-1 in their UCL opener. Paris Saint-Germain hold the top spot in the 36-team table after matchweek 1 in Europe’s top-flight, while Bayern brushed aside Bodo/Glimt 5-0. Returning to the UCL after a two-year absence, Manchester United handed debutants Sabah a 4-0 drubbing in their opener. Here, take a look at some of the top stats from matchweek 1.

Yamal breaks Mbappe’s record for most goal contributions as a teenager in Champions League history after a goal and two assists. The 19-year-old now has 23 goal contributions in the UCL (12 goals and 11 assists) after contributing to three goals in the UCL opener. Mbappe had 20 contributions as a teenager.

Meanwhile, FC Bayern Munich have become just the second club to register 900 goals in the UCL, becoming just the second team after Real Madrid (1139) to reach the mark. They beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0 to now tally 904 goals in the competition.

Harry Kane’s goal-scoring run continues as the England internarional netted once in the 5-0 win. He has now scored goals in eight consecutive UCL games, making him just the fourth player with eight or more straight games with goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (twice), Robert Lewandowski (twice) and Ruud van Nistelrooy have achieved the mark.

Azerbaijan club Sabah made their debut in the Champions League and lost to United 4-0. However, they have set a unique record as they have become the first-ever team to name a starting XI of players of 11 different nationalities in their first game at the UCL.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde scored in Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter Milan in their UCL opener. Although Real were not that impressive, Mbappe scored and has now become the joint fifth-highest goal-scorer in UCL history, levelling Raul Gonzalez. He is now behind only Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129), Lewandowski (109) and Karim Benzema (90).