India’s taekwondo campaign at the Asian Games 2026 concluded on Saturday with the events ending at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan.
A total of three Indian taekwondoins – all women – competed across four medal events at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Kashish Malik took guard in the women’s -57kg category as well as the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event, which was making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
In the women’s -57kg category, Kashish Malik lost 2-0 (18-3, 17-2) to Republic of Korea’s Kim Yu-jin, the Paris 2024 Olympics gold medallist in the division.
India’s best run in the sport at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 came in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event, where Kashish Malik made the quarter-finals.
The Indian taekwondoin defeated Siu Wai Lam of Hong Kong China 2-0 (800-500, 400-0) but then lost to Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva, the eventual bronze medallist, 2-1 (0-320, 460-0, 340-0) despite taking the lead and bowed out.
Jyoti Yadav lost 2-0 (15-4, 14-2) to Thailand’s Kannaluck Chuenchooklin in the round of 16 in what was India’s final taekwondo bout of the ongoing Asian Games.
Rupa Bayor missed out on a berth in the final of the women’s individual finals after finishing fifth in her semi-final group with a score of 7.6100. She needed to log a top four finish in the eight-woman group to progress to the medal round.
Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau of Vietnam was the fourth woman to qualify for the medal round from Bayor’s group with a score of 7.9500.
Taekwondo has been part of every edition of the Asian Games since Seoul 1986 with the exception of Beijing 1990.
Surendra Bhandari’s bronze at Busan 2002 remains India’s only medal in taekwondo at the Asian Games.
Source: www.olympics.com
