Asian Games 2026: First Two Days See China Set the Pace as India Makes Strong Start

 

The 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, began on September 19 with athletes from across Asia competing in a wide range of sports. The opening two days of competition produced a lively medal race, with China quickly establishing a substantial lead while hosts Japan and South Korea also made strong starts. By the end of Day 2, 12 countries had won at least one gold medal, while a number of other nations had already opened their medal accounts with silver and bronze medals. The Games feature athletes from 45 countries and regions competing across 43 sports.

China dominated the opening two days and quickly moved clear at the top of the medal table. The Chinese contingent was particularly impressive in shooting and swimming, two sports that provided a large proportion of its early gold medals. Among the standout performances was 13-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi, who won her second gold medal of the Games in the women's 200m individual medley and set a new Asian Games record. China also enjoyed success in the men's 100m breaststroke and the men's 10m air rifle events, with Olympic champion Sheng Lihao successfully defending his Asian Games title. By the end of Day 2, China had accumulated 23 gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals for a total of 38.

Hosts Japan also enjoyed an impressive beginning to their home Games. Japanese athletes collected medals across several disciplines and remained comfortably in second position after two days. Japan had eight gold medals, 12 silver medals and 12 bronze medals, giving the hosts a total of 32 medals. Their strong showing across swimming, shooting and other disciplines ensured that they remained within striking distance of the leading nations in terms of overall medals, although China had already established a significant advantage in gold medals.

South Korea occupied third position after two days and produced a particularly strong haul of bronze medals. The Korean contingent had five gold, three silver and 15 bronze medals, giving them 23 medals in total. One of the notable results came in women's football, where North Korea and South Korea played out a 1-1 draw. The match attracted considerable attention because of the longstanding political tensions between the two countries, although both teams concentrated on the sporting contest.

Kazakhstan was another strong performer during the opening stages. Four gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals put Kazakhstan fourth in the standings with eight medals. Thailand also made a strong start, winning three gold medals and one silver to occupy fifth position. Hong Kong, China followed with two gold, three silver and three bronze medals, while Chinese Taipei collected one gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Macao, China, Myanmar and Uzbekistan also entered the gold-medal table during the first two days. Macao had one gold and three silver medals, while Myanmar and Uzbekistan each had one gold, one silver and one bronze. Kuwait completed the group of nations with gold medals at this stage, with one gold and two bronze medals. Several other participating countries had won silver or bronze medals but were yet to secure a gold.

The first two days also produced some notable moments beyond the main medal standings. Mixed martial arts made its Asian Games debut, while the competition featured athletes from a wide range of sports and nations. The Games also saw the participation of the Olympic Council of Asia's first refugee team, adding another significant dimension to the continental sporting event. Weather conditions affected some events, with equestrian competition postponed because of concerns surrounding Typhoon Dujuan.

India's Performance

India made a promising start to its campaign but was still waiting for its first gold medal after two days. The country collected six medals — four silver and two bronze — to occupy 12th position in the medal standings. Shooting was overwhelmingly responsible for India's early medal success, accounting for five of the six medals.

India opened its medal account on Day 1 with two silver medals in women's 10m air rifle. Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod combined to win silver in the team competition, while Elavenil added another silver in the individual event. These performances provided India with an encouraging beginning and immediately established shooting as one of the country's leading medal-producing sports.

The Indian shooters were again in the spotlight on Day 2. Himanshu Dhillon won silver in the men's 10m air rifle individual event, while Rudrankksh Patil secured bronze. Dhillon and Patil then combined with 18-year-old Parth Mane to win another silver in the men's 10m air rifle team competition. The Indian trio scored 1898.4 points, narrowly finishing behind China's gold-medal-winning team, which set a new world record with 1899.0 points.

India's sixth medal came from mixed martial arts, where Suchika Tariyal created history by becoming India's first Asian Games medallist in MMA. She won bronze in the women's Traditional 60kg category. Her semifinal against Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo ended in a draw, but Teo advanced to the final under the competition's tie-breaking rule because she was lighter at the weigh-in, leaving Suchika with the bronze medal.

India also produced encouraging performances outside the medal tally. The women's cricket team reached the final beating Bangladesh, guaranteeing at least a silver medal with Shafali Verma scoring her 1st T20I 100 , while Indian men & women teams made strong starts in hockey and kabaddi. These results meant that India entered the third day with several further medal opportunities and remained firmly in contention for a substantial overall campaign.

After two days, India's six medals comprised four silver and two bronze, with no gold medals. The five shooting medals demonstrated the strength of India's shooting contingent, while Suchika Tariyal's historic MMA bronze added a new sport to India's list of Asian Games medal-winning disciplines. The women's cricket team's progress to the final also ensured that India's medal tally would increase on the following day.

Medal Tally After Day 2

At the end of Day 2, China led the overall standings with 23 gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals, for a total of 38 medals. Japan followed with 8 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze for 32 medals, while South Korea had 5 gold, 3 silver and 15 bronze for 23 medals. Kazakhstan was fourth with eight medals, followed by Thailand with four. India stood 12th with six medals.

Overall medal standings after Day 2: China — 23 Gold, 10 Silver, 5 Bronze (38); Japan — 8 Gold, 12 Silver, 12 Bronze (32); South Korea — 5 Gold, 3 Silver, 15 Bronze (23); Kazakhstan — 4 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze (8); Thailand — 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze (4); Hong Kong, China — 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze (8); Chinese Taipei — 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze (6); Macao, China — 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Bronze (4); Myanmar — 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze (3); Uzbekistan — 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze (3); Kuwait — 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze (3); and India — 0 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze (6).