At the 2026 Asian Games, India’s athletics campaign saw historic medals and strong performances, alongside concerns about athlete selection and withdrawals. Sawan Barwal won silver in the men’s marathon with a national record time of 2:11:37, improving his previous best by 21 seconds. He became the first Indian in 44 years to win an Asian Games marathon medal outside India.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor secured silver in the men’s shot put with a best throw of 20.64m. Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebise claimed gold with a Games record of 20.81m.
Prachi Choudhary surprised with a bronze medal in the women’s 400m, clocking 53.21 seconds, adding to India’s athletics medal haul. Other notable performances included Parul Chaudhary’s personal best of 4:09.46 in the 1500m and Tejaswin Shankar leading the decathlon after five events.
The day was also marked by the withdrawals of Jyothi Yarraji and national-record holder Praveen Chithravel. Questions arose about the participation of high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who received last-minute clearance despite athletes submitting medical certificates confirming fitness earlier.
These developments have intensified scrutiny on selection procedures, medical clearances, transparency, and accountability within India’s sports administration.
