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India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly competes in the women’s long jump final at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. AP/PTI

In the high jump, Sarvesh Kushare saw a golden opportunity open up with the absence of Mutaz Barshim, only to fall short of a height he had cleared before. And in the decathlon, Tejaswin Shankar was left with a bronze he felt should have been silver, if not gold.

The results left Indian athletics still searching for its first gold medal of the Nagoya Asian Games. With the competition nearing its final stages, matching the six gold medals won at the 2023 Hangzhou edition now looks a difficult task.

The broader picture is equally sobering. With just four, compared to table-topper China’s 119, India’s gold tally has remained abysmal, with a paltry stream of silver (16) and bronze (17) medals. Shooting, which had been one of the country’s biggest medal-producing sports at Hangzhou, has also fallen short of its previous gold-medal return.

There is still time for India to add to its gold count, but Sunday’s results offered a particularly stark illustration of the difference between being in contention and converting that position into gold.

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For Ancy, the defeat was particularly cruel because she had been in control for much of the competition; even when Huang challenged her for the first time in her penultimate attempt. The Chinese jumper recorded 6.49m in her fifth attempt, equalling Ancy’s 6.49m that had given her an early lead. The 25-year-old Indian responded emphatically, clearing 6.53m to regain the top spot. She needed Huang to fall short in her final attempt. Instead, she produced the decisive jump, turning what had looked like an Indian gold into a silver.

India’s Tejaswin Shankar celebrates after winning the decathlon 1500m at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026.

Ancy’s close friend and fellow jumper Shaili Singh, meanwhile, had been in the reckoning for bronze before China’s Mengyi Tan jumped 6.46m in the final round. Shaili’s best of 6.42m left her fourth, just 4 cm short of the podium. The two Indians had reached the final round with a potential double medal in their grasp. They left with one silver.

Close misses

The disappointment continued in the men’s decathlon, where Tejaswin Shankar was left to rue what he felt was a missed opportunity to win gold or a silver, finishing with 7,934 points accumulated in 10 events over two days. “It’s a lost opportunity of a gold or silver. So here I am settling for a bronze medal,” he said. “It’s really bad. I don’t, I can’t, even make up things to be able to justify this performance.”

Tejaswin’s self-assessment was unusually brutal for an athlete who had secured a medal. The bronze was a tangible reward for his efforts, but it did little to soften the disappointment of a performance he felt had fallen short of his ambitions. “I am pretty p****d.”

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High jumper Sarvesh Kushare, too, was left with a silver medal when gold had been within reach in the men’s high jump. The absence of Qatar’s Barshim, a three-time Asian Games champion, had raised hopes of a breakthrough for the Indian. Kushare had spotted the start list on his way to the stadium, and the news had given him reason to believe that gold was there for the taking.

South Korean Sanghyeok Woo, a two-time World Championship silver medallist, could not find his rhythm either, leaving the contest for gold between Kushare and 23-year-old Taiwanese Chao-hsuan Fu, who is still finding his feet at the senior level. All Kushare had to do was clear 2.28m, less than his personal best of 2.31. When it mattered, though, he couldn’t produce a big jump.

India’s Sarvesh Kushare Anil in action during the men’s high jump final. (REUTERS)

The silver was a medal, but not the one he had come for. “I am not satisfied with the silver. But what can I do? I have a medal at least,” he said.

The medals were there, but the gold remained elusive.