India began their campaign at the Asian Games 2026, sans some of the biggest stars in Aichi-Nagoya as the country aims to better it’s show from the previous edition in Hangzhou in 2023. In the Chinese city, the Indian athletes won a historic 107 medals (28 gold, 38 silver, 41 bronze), thus finishing fourth in the final medal tally.
Three years on, India will be looking to emulate the same but without the likes of and among the notable ones, who had won the country a medal in Hangzhou. The absence of these athletes serves a perfect opportunity for others, to showcase their talent at the Asian level.
Here are the top five Indian athletes missing from .
The biggest miss for India at the Asian Games 2026 will be absence of two-time Olympic medal-winning javelin star Neeraj Chopra. The 28-year-old suffered an ankle injury during a Diamond League meeting. He is the reigning Asian champion. On August 29, Neeraj took to social media to announce his withdrawal from the 2026.
Yashvir Singh will replace at the Asian Games 2026, and will team up with Rohit Yadav to keep Indian flag high in javelin. In 2023, it was Neeraj and Kishore Jena during the Hangzhou Games, who topped the podium.
Another major miss in athletics for India will be Tejas Shirse – a national-record holder in 110-metre hurdles. Shirse missed out due to a foot injury. The last time the 24-year-old was seen on the track was at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where he clocked 13.76 seconds in the heats. He finished last in the final, because of the injury.
Having won a bronze medal in the last edition, two-time World champion is a major absentee in the Indian contingent in Aichi-Nagoya Games. She did not make the cut in the qualifying tournament. During the National trials in May in Patiala, Nikhat lost to Sakshi Chaudhary in the women’s 51kg semifinals.
Another big name missing is . After her Paris Olympics heartbreak, the famed grappler returned to the mat for the first time and appeared for the National trials in the women’s 53kg weight category. Phogat won the first two bouts, but her comeback to the top level competition, was cut short by Meenakshi in the semifinals.
Divyanshi Choudhary’s absence became a major issue in the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026. The 18-year-old Wushu athlete posted a emotional video on social media, claiming that she was unfairly removed from the Indian contingent. However, Wushu Federation of India (WFI) issued a clarification, stating that Divyanshi’s recovery from the ACL injury was kept in mind for his removal from the contingent.
In India, Asian Games 2026 will be telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil, Telugu & Kannada) and Sony Sports Ten 5 (Tamil, Telugu & Kannada) channels. Live streaming of Asian Games 2026 will be available on SonyLIV.
