Mishra is hopeful of Pranati finding her feet and doing well at the Asian Games only if she is able to do both 360-degree twist vaults with correct landing
Published: September 14, 2026, 1:20 PM IST
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File photo of Pranati Nayak from the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou(Credits: IANS)
After enduring an heartbreaking end to the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak has a much tougher task in hand when she flies to Japan for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in the cities of Aichi and Nagoya from September 19 onwardsNayak will be India’s sole representative from the discipline at the quadrennial event.
The 31-year-old carries plenty of reputation for being one of the very few gymnasts to have represented India at the all-important Olympic gamesShe was a part of the Indian contingent that competed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics during the COVID-19 era.
Although it wasn’t really a memorable outing for Nayak as she finished 12th in her subdivision with a total score of 42.565, she became only the second female gymnast from India to feature at the Olympics after Dipa Karmakar, who had made an historic appearance at Rio back in 2016.
Now, Pranati Nayak is now gearing up for what is going to be her fourth appearance at the Asian Games and she will be particularly determined to perform well after a horrible ending at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year.
During the qualifying rounds, Pranati evidently struggled with pace, facing difficulty while running and it ultimately costed her valuable points and a spot in the final roundHer coach Ashok Mishra described it as a never seen before moment.
Ashok Mishra later disclosed that Pranati is dealing with a plantar fasciitis, an issue that causes pulling underneath the foot while runningHowever, Mishra also stated that the condition was not the major reason behind Nayak’s underperformance and that the injury is just five percent away from curing fully.
“It is around 90-95% curedJust 5% remains and that is not a problem for her,” Coach Ashok Mishra told Times of India.
Mishra also highlighted the importance of letting her rest for almost a month, which not only helped her recover physically but also mentally, claiming that Pranati is much more mature now.
“After the Commonwealth Games, I gave her around three weeks of complete restSo she recoveredOtherwise, if we had continued training, it could have aggravated the injuryShe is now mentally much more matureAfter everything, we just analyse it and focus on the next,” coach Mishra added.
Mishra was also hopeful of Pranati finding her feet and doing well at the Asian Games only if she is able to do both 360-degree twist vaults with correct landing.
“It’s going to be a very difficult test for herBut I think she will do wellIf she does both the 360-degree twist vaults cleanly with a fixed landing, then there is a very good possibility of her going to the final because execution matters,” Ashok Mishra concluded.
The competition is set to be extremely difficult due to the presence of nations like China, Japan, and South Korea among others, Ashok Mishra has put Pranati Nayak on a particular training regime that stresses on reducing executional errorsThe 31-year-old has taken up plyometrics in order to increase her leg and over strengthPranati will compete in the women’s vault and women’s all-around disciplines.
