Suchika Tariyal is the first-ever Indian athlete to win a bronze medal at the Asian Games from the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event.
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India’s Suchika Tariyal won bronze in Asian Games 2026 on Monday(Source: Instagram)
Asian Games 2026: Suchika Tariyal settled for a bronze medal in the women’s traditional 60kg mixed martial arts event of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Monday as Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo was awarded the semifinal win on account of her lesser weight after the two fighters drew the gruelling boutThis was India’s maiden medal in the discipline that made its debut at the 20th edition of the GamesTariyal, however, was shattered by the result and wept bitterly on the mat once the final decision was announced in Teo’s favour.
The bronze took India’s overall medal tally to six at the continental showpieceShooters have bagged four silver medals and one bronze so farThe closely-fought bout ended in a draw after regulation time, with Teo mounting an attack in the final few secondsBut Tariyal managed to get her opponent down just as the buzzer went off.
India’s first-ever Asian Games Mixed martial arts medal!
Heartiest greetings to Suchika Tariyal on winning Bronze in the Women’s Traditional 60kg MMA at the #AsianGames2026
The whole nation is proud of you!
Jai Hind pic.twitter.com/Y2WjRLlOcL
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 21, 2026
Teo had the better of the first period, but Tariyal fought back strongly in the secondWith neither fighter able to establish a clear advantage, the bout went into a one-minute extra round.
Tariyal thought she had done enough to win, while Teo also celebrated at the final buzzerThe bout was initially ruled in Teo’s favour but after an Indian challenge, the result was declared a draw and the winner was then determined by the fighters morning weights.
“After the Indian challenge, the result of the bout was declared drawnThe winner was then decided on the basis of the weights of competing athletes according to morning weigh-in,” MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunde told PTI news agency.
“Since, the Singaporean was lighter than Suchika by around 700 grams, she moved to the finalSuchika settled for bronze,” he added.
Teo was subsequently declared the winner 2-0 and advanced to the final, leaving Tariyal visibly upsetThe Indian broke down in tears and did not immediately go across to shake hands with her opponent or the referee, while her coach consoled her.
Despite the disappointment, the bronze is India’s first-ever medal in mixed martial arts at the Asian GamesThe 36-year-old from Haryana took up combat sports after facing street harassment as a 12-year-old and went on to become a multi-discipline combat sport athlete, representing India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
She had assured herself of a medal on Sunday by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals to enter the last four.
– with PTI inputs
