For some Indian athletes, the road to the Asian Games 2026 podium in Aichi-Nagoya did not begin in the sport in which they eventually won their medals.
Injuries, missed selections, opportunities and advice from coaches led several athletes to change disciplines before establishing themselves at the continental level.
Here are five Indian medallists whose sporting journeys took an unexpected turn.
Phogat became an Asian Games champion in shooting after beginning her sporting journey as a wrestler. The Haryana athlete was introduced to wrestling by her father, but a collarbone fracture after around six months of training changed her path.
Her father subsequently took her to a shooting range in Bhiwani, where she began training under coach Suresh Singh. The switch eventually produced remarkable results.
At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Suruchi teamed up with Kamaljeet Singh to win gold in the mixed 10m air pistol event. The Indian pair scored 486.6 in the final, setting a new Asian Games record.
Suchika Tariyal’s journey involved several combat sports before she reached the Asian Games podium in mixed martial arts. She had represented India in judo before moving into kurash and later ju-jitsu, eventually turning to MMA.
At 36, competed in the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event at the 2026 Asian Games. She defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarter-finals to secure a medal before eventually taking bronze.
Her medal was particularly significant because MMA made its debut at Aichi-Nagoya, making Tariyal India’s first Asian Games medallist in the discipline.
Satnam Singh began as a handball player and competed at national level before moving into rowing in 2018. His physical attributes caught the attention of Olympian Swarn Singh Virk, who encouraged him to explore the sport. The change ultimately took him to the Asian Games podium.
Satnam partnered Salman Khan in the men’s double sculls at Aichi-Nagoya. The pair won bronze, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in the double-sculls event.
Pincky Balhara’s move from judo to kurash came after she missed out on selection for India’s judo team. She subsequently concentrated on kurash and earned a place in India’s squad for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. The change gave her a new route to the Asian Games.
Eight years later, added another medal to her record by winning bronze in the women’s 78kg kurash competition at Aichi-Nagoya. She fought through a knee injury during the competition before her run ended in the semi-final.
Nitesh Siwach initially went to Pratap School intending to play kabaddi. However, the presence of a wrestling programme and encouragement from his father led him towards wrestling instead.
That decision eventually produced one of India’s notable results in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2026 Asian Games.
Siwach won silver in the men’s 97kg Greco-Roman category in Aichi-Nagoya. His run to the final made him the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler in more than six decades to reach an Asian Games final, since India’s previous finalists in the discipline at the 1962 Games.
