Editor’s note: Rupinder Singh is writing a column, Monday through Friday, on Indian Athletics. This is his second column and it alerts our readers to the start of the track & field at the Aichi Nagoya Asian Games, held September 19-October 14, 2026.
Rupinder Singh is an athletics coach and journalist, who loves the sport of track & field and is helping RunBlogRun readers learn more about our sport in India!
Asian Games track and field athletics start today at the 2026 Nagoya asian games. The Indian contingent is looking forward to a rich haul of golds from their athletes.
In the 2023 Hangzhou edition, athletes won 29 medals, including six golds. Of those six golds, the two men’s and javelin throwers are absent this time: Neeraj Chopra is injured, and Annu Rani failed to live up to her last-edition form and did not qualify for Nagoya. The other four gold medallists all look good to retain their respective golds.
Tajinder Pal Singh Toor will enter as the favorite to repeat his golds from 2018 Jakarta and 2023 Hangzhou as Asia’s leading performer in 2026. Tajinder has 2 steeplechasers, Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary, to keep him company as he looks to regain their 2023 gold medals.
Avinash Sable, of course, has had to wait for a full year after his call-up in the 2025 Monaco Diamond League, undergoing cruciate ligament surgery and rehabilitation. Avinash, however, finally ran the final trials on Sept 10 and won comfortably in 8:32.2. The battle for gold at Nagoya will be with the home favorite, Muira of Japan, and will be a much tougher race. It will be a much tougher race than 2023 for Avinash, but I expect him to show his mettle and do what is necessary to win, although he will have to run nearly 15 seconds better than his 8:32 effort in Delhi.
Parul has been in dominant form in the 5000 m, clocking a national record of 15:04, and, challenged by Tanaka, may even become India’s first sub-15-minute 5000 m runner, in addition to bagging the gold.
The men’s 4 x 400 also seems formidable enough to retain gold, led by Vishal, India’s first sub-45 quarter-miler, and experienced Rajesh Ramesh, along with their young teammates.
India’s three most formidable athletes through the year will look to add to these four golds: Tejaswin Shankar in decathlon, Sarvesh Kushare in the men’s high jump, and Ancy Sojan in the women’s long jump.
In addition, the 4 x 400 m mixed relay also looks good enough for a gold. Tejaswin’s credentials include gold at the Asian indoor heptathlon, becoming the first Indian decathlete over 8000 points, and a bronze at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Ancy Sojan’s 6.88m makes her a comfortable leader in Asia’s women’s long jump, and Sarvesh Kushare’s 2.31 m, along with a Diamond League podium and silver in Glasgow, makes him a gold prospect at Nagoya.
The 4 x 400 m mixed relay completes the seventh gold. India’s most versatile long-distance runners, Gulveer, are expected to deliver the eighth gold, fresh from a double medal haul at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
There could be surprises too from Pooja Singh in the women’s high jump and Murali Srikanth in the men’s long jump, and if they do the job, India could have a dream double-digit gold haul at Nagoya. So far, India has only one gold from women’s cricket in Nagoya.
Let’s go, athletes.
