Asian Games: Wushu athlete Aparna Dahiya exits after Round of 16 defeat

Aparna, who won gold at the 11th Sanda World Cup in Macau in May, lost both rounds by a 5-0 scoreline as Sinkaeichetan advanced to the next stage.

The Indian had entered the continental competition following an impressive run at the World Cup, where she defeated reigning world champion Thi Phuong Nga Ngo of Vietnam in straight sets to claim the gold medal.

The victory in Macau was Indias first gold at the 11th edition of the Sanda World Cup. Aparna, who hails from Silana village in Haryana and comes from a farmers family, had also avenged her earlier defeat to the Vietnamese opponent at the World Wushu Championships.

Meanwhile, Indias Vikrant Baliyan is scheduled to face Irans Soheil Mousavi in the mens 75kg Sanda Round of 16 later on Sunday at 4:50 pm IST.

India enjoyed a productive opening day at the Asian Games, with medals and strong performances across several disciplines.

In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the womens 10m air rifle individual final, while she joined Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod to claim another silver in the team event.

In mixed martial arts, Suchika Tariyal secured a medal after defeating Mongolias Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the womens traditional 60kg quarterfinal.

India also registered convincing wins in hockey, with the womens team defeating Uzbekistan 19-0 in Pool B and the men beating Indonesia 13-1 in Pool A.

The Indian womens cricket team advanced to the final after defeating Bangladesh in the semifinal.

In table tennis, both the Indian mens and womens teams defeated Indonesia 3-0 in their Group F matches, while the women also edged Singapore 3-2.

Indias badminton womens team began its campaign with a 3-0 win over Kazakhstan.

In swimming, Rishabh Das qualified for the mens 100m backstroke final after finishing fifth in the heats and later placed sixth in the final. Benediction Beniston and Akash Mani finished 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the mens 100m freestyle heats.

Wushu athlete Suraj Singh Mayanglambam finished 11th in the mens Changquan final, while teqball player Quimcy Dsouza and the mixed doubles pair of Dsouza and Mohamed Anas Beg lost their respective bronze-medal matches. (ANI)