Aichi-Nagoya, Japan — Day 4 of the Asian Games 2026 delivered a spectacular mix of historic victories, record-breaking performances, and fierce competition across multiple sports. India finally opened their gold medal account, China continued their relentless march atop the standings with world-record displays, and South Korea celebrated a milestone fencing triumph.
Here’s your complete roundup of everything that happened on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
Cricket: India Clinch Historic Gold in Women’s Final
The headline moment of the day came from the cricket field, where India’s women’s cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by a massive 147 runs to secure their first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games.
Playing at the Karogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Aichi, India posted a tournament-record 216/3 after captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat.
Smriti Mandhana was the star of the show, smashing a breathtaking 79 off just 45 balls. Her 37th T20I fifty came in just 30 deliveries, setting the tone for India’s dominant performance.
Opening partner Shafali Verma, fresh off a century in the semi-final against Bangladesh, struck three massive sixes off Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu in a single over. Richa Ghosh provided the late fireworks with an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls, propelling India to their record total.
In response, Sri Lanka never recovered from early setbacks and were bundled out for just 69 runs, handing India a comprehensive victory. Deepti Sharma led the bowling attack with three wickets.
This victory marks India’s second consecutive Asian Games gold in women’s cricket, following their triumph at Hangzhou 2023. Sri Lanka settled for silver for the second straight edition, while Pakistan took bronze after beating Bangladesh in the third-place playoff.
South Korea’s Fencing Milestone
South Korea celebrated their first fencing gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games, courtesy of Song Se-ra in the women’s individual epee event.
Song, who won silver at the previous Asian Games, defeated Singapore’s Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman 15-8 in the final at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname.
Bronze medals went to Tamaki Terayama of Japan and Yang Jingwen of China.
Shooting: China Sets World Records
The 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event witnessed history as China’s Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao set a World Record in both qualification and final to claim gold with an incredible 507.1 points.
South Korea’s Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun took silver with 502.9 points, while hosts Japan claimed bronze with 439.7 points. India’s Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth with 376.3 points, narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
China had already set a qualification World Record of 638.9 earlier in the day, topping the standings ahead of India (634.6) and South Korea (633.2).
Swimming: China Continue Pool Dominance
China’s swimming juggernaut rolled on with four more gold medals, highlighted by Zhang Zhanshuo’s victory in the men’s 1,500m freestyle. The 19-year-old touched the wall in 14:42.42, adding to his gold from the 4x200m freestyle relay a day earlier.
Peng Xuwei broke a 16-year-old Asian Games record to defend her women’s 200m backstroke title in 2:05.77. Teammate Sun Mingxia took silver (2:08.65), while Japan’s Rio Shirai claimed bronze (2:08.70).
China also won the men’s 4×100 medley relay in 3:27.89, with South Korea taking bronze in a new national record time of 3:31.97.
Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong, China continued her impressive form by winning the women’s 100m freestyle.
Kabaddi: India Dominate South Korea
The Indian men’s kabaddi team continued their title defence with a commanding 63-31 victoryover South Korea in Group A at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium.
India, the reigning Asian Games champions, led 34-14 at half-time and inflicted three all outs on their opponents. Captain Sunil Kumar’s side accumulated 38 out points compared to South Korea’s 23, with the raiding unit and defence both firing on all cylinders.
With wins over hosts Japan and South Korea in successive outings, India remain firmly on course to top Group A. They face Bangladesh next on Wednesday.
Wushu: Mixed Fortunes for Asian Nations
The women’s combined nanquan and nandao event saw Malaysia’s Tan Cheong Min settle for bronze after a minor slip during her nandao routine. She accumulated 19.389 points, finishing behind China’s Zhang Yaling (gold, 19.569) and Uzbekistan’s Darya Latisheva (silver, 19.413).
In the men’s nanquan-nangun event, China’s Li Jianming claimed gold with 19.563 points, while Hong Kong’s Lau Chi-lung took silver (19.456) and Chinese Taipei’s Liu Chang-min secured bronze (19.430).
For India, Roshibina Devi secured a medal by reaching the semi-finals of the women’s 60kg category with a dominant 5-0 victory over Macau’s Chu Man Sin.
Medal Tally: China Extend Commanding Lead
China continued their overwhelming dominance atop the medal standings, extending their lead with a series of gold-medal performances across swimming, shooting, and wushu.
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | China | 31 | 13 | 8 | 52 |
| 2 | Japan | 11 | 15 | 19 | 45 |
| 3 | South Korea | 6 | 4 | 17 | 27 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| 5 | Thailand | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | India | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
Source: Medal tally as of September 22, 2026
🔮 What to Watch on Day 5
Day 5 promises more thrilling action with medal events scheduled across:
- Athletics — Track and field competitions begin
- Badminton — Quarter-final clashes
- Boxing — Semi-final bouts
- Hockey — India face Sri Lanka in the men’s competition
India will be looking to build on their cricket gold, with medal prospects in shooting, wushu, and kabaddi.
📌 Key Takeaways from Day 4
- India’s women’s cricket team won their first gold of the 2026 Games with a record-breaking performance
- Smriti Mandhana’s 79 off 45 balls was the standout individual innings of the day
- China set world records in the 10m air rifle mixed team event
- South Korea claimed their first fencing gold through Song Se-ra
- India’s men’s kabaddi team continued their dominant run with a 63-31 win over South Korea
- China leads the medal tally with 31 gold medals, followed by Japan (11) and South Korea (6)
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Follow our coverage of the Asian Games 2026 for daily updates, medal tallies, and in-depth analysis of all the action from Aichi-Nagoya.
