Asian Games 2026 Day 5 Live Updates: All Eyes On Mirabai Chanu As India Eyes Weightlifting Medal

SHE'S DONE IT! Ri Song-gum lifts with absolute ease to lock in a historic third consecutive Asian Games gold medal! And as if that wasn't enough, she steps back out for a mind-boggling 121kg and completely nails it for a new world record! What an athlete. India's Mirabai Chanu wraps up her brave Clean & Jerk run, calling it a day at 111kg.

The blockbuster semifinal showdown has arrived as India squares off against powerhouse China. Opening the tie, Lakshya Sen steps onto the court for a high-octane battle against Shi Yu Qi.

The tone of this entire fixture will heavily rely on the first three matches, making the singles performances of Lakshya and Ayush Shetty, alongside the critical doubles rubber featuring Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, absolutely vital to India's hopes.

Agony for India as the dreaded fourth-place finish strikes again! Raiza Dhillon hits 3 out of 4 clay targets, but it is just not enough to save her.

A flawless 4 for 4 from Jiang at the top, a 3 out of 4 from Ornybay, and another perfect 4 from Imprasertsuk means Raiza is officially eliminated. No individual skeet medal for India today, but what a valiant effort from the young shooter!

Podium finish confirmed! Mirabai Chanu is guaranteed at least an Asian Games silver medal. She currently holds the overall lead, though Ri Song-gum remains heavily favored to overtake her.

The battle for bronze ended in heartbreak as a severely injured Fang Wan-lin attempted a grueling 110kg lift to displace Luluk Wijayana; she ultimately collapsed under the weight in a distressing moment that left commentators questioning the decision to let her lift.

Next up on the turf: India vs Thailand in the women's hockey group stage! The Women in Blue are riding a massive wave of momentum after blowing past Uzbekistan 19-0 and Indonesia 17-1.

With the attackers in absolutely clinical form, fans should buckle up for what could easily be another spectacular goal-fest!,

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗫𝗜 𝗜𝗦 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘! 🇮🇳🔥

The Indian Women’s Team names its Starting XI for the third Pool B clash against Thailand at the Asian Games 2026! 🏑💪

Ready to keep the momentum rolling! 🇮🇳❤️#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #AsianGames2026 #AichiNagoya2026 pic.twitter.com/DwcKkqiYE3, — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 23, 2026

SENSATIONAL LIFT! Mirabai Chanu clutched up after raising her opening attempt to 107kg! She gets the white lights with an absolute beauty of a lift, clearing the weight comfortably to storm straight into the silver-medal spot!

Great concentration from Raiza Dhillon! You could see her visualizing the routine just moments before her turn, and it paid off as she breaks 3 out of 4 targets.

That brings her total score to 14, placing her fourth as the final intensifies!

The weight declarations are in, and the battle lines are drawn! Mirabai Chanu opens at 106kg, a tactical move in her pet lifting style that puts her in direct striking distance to snatch the silver medal position away from Indonesia's Wijayana (100kg).

Ri Song-gum looks in a league of her own at a towering 116kg, but the race for the remaining podium spots is wide open!

Heartbreak for India in the fencing strip as GN Kumaresan bows out in the pre-quarterfinals, falling 11-15 to Artyom Sarkissyan. Kumaresan looked spectacular early on, flying to a 4-1 cushion, but the Kazakh fencer clawed his way back to lead 8-7 at the end of the first period.

Kumaresan threw everything he had into a late-match rally, but Sarkissyan kept his composure to seal the match and eliminate the last Indian in the men's sabre individual draw.

Ankush Panghal advanced to the men's 80kg Round of 16 after securing a comfortable 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Bahrain's Hamsa Vogel.

The Indian boxer dictated the tempo from start to finish, pacing himself through a quiet final round while effortlessly frustrating a tiring opponent who struggled to land any clean strikes. Ankush marches into the next round carrying great composure and momentum.

It is time for the women's skeet final, and India has double the reason to cheer with Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal both in the mix for a medal! Quick rules check for our viewers: this is a shotgun event where shooters target flying clay birds fired from high and low houses.

Strategy is key here, the field will shoot 10 targets before the lowest scorers are gradually eliminated, and because there are no separate lanes, the finalists will rotate and shoot from the exact same spot one by one.

Ankush Panghal kicked off his men's 80kg Asian Games campaign in style, registering a flawless 5-0 unanimous victory over Bahrain’s Vogel Hamsa in the Round of 32.

It was total dominance on the mat as the Indian men's kabaddi team cruised past Bangladesh to secure their third straight group-stage win.

Remaining undefeated in their campaign, the clinical Indians now shift their focus to tomorrow's final group-stage showdown against Chinese Taipei.

That is an absolute masterclass in dominance!

Winning 11-0 in the opening game sets a massive statement, and wrapping up the entire match in just 15 minutes shows exactly why they are a pair to watch out for.

With Manush Shah and Diya Chitale carrying this kind of red-hot momentum into the mixed doubles quarterfinals, India's chances in the table tennis arena are looking incredibly strong. It will be exciting to see if they can maintain this clinical edge in the next round!

BRONZE FOR INDIA AND IT'S HISTORIC! Jay Meena's incredible run comes to an end in the semifinals, bowing out 2-4 against Japan's Takuya Kurosaka.,

Its going to be HISTORIC BRONZE MEDAL FOR JAY MEENA🥉

Its India's 1st EVER MEDAL IN SOFT TENNIS AT ASIAN GAMES.

Loses 2-4 in Semis. #AG2026withIAS #AichiNagoya2026 pic.twitter.com/NpnT8o8qcJ, — India_AllSports (@India_AllSports) September 23, 2026

Down 0-3, Meena showed incredible heart to win consecutive games and push it to 2-3, but Kurosaka managed to shut the door right at the finish line. Even with the defeat, Meena stands tall as the man who secured India's first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis!

AND SHE NAILS IT CRITICALLY! A spectacular third consecutive good lift at 87kg wraps up a perfect snatch round for Mirabai Chanu! She grabs a slim one-kilogram lead at the top of the event standings.

The pressure shifts right back over to the competition, with Wijayana walking out next for a massive 88kg attempt!

Two for two! Mirabai Chanu stepped up the weight to 85kg and locked it out cleanly, showing superb composure to maintain her strong start.

India's weightlifting powerhouse Mirabai Chanu launched her campaign with a flawless opening lift of 83kg, clearing the bar with absolute ease to settle any early nerves.