The continental sporting extravaganza moves into its seventh day on Friday, September 25, presenting a packed itinerary for the Indian contingent. Athletes representing the country will be active across 14 different sports, pushing for advancement and chasing podium finishes. Enthusiasts will closely monitor track and field competitions, target shooting ranges, weightlifting platforms, and equestrian arenas as multiple medal deciders unfold throughout the day.
Target Shooting Contingent Eyes Top Honors
Precision marksmen will be among the earliest competitors looking to deliver hardware. The action begins at 6:15 AM with the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification, featuring the pairing of Suruchi Inder Singh and Kamaljeet. Should they secure advancement, their final will take place at 8:30 AM. Shortly afterward, at 7:15 AM, the 50m rifle 3 positions event will see Neeraj Kumar, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil contest both the individual qualification and team medal decider. The individual final for this category is scheduled for 10:30 AM.
Athletics Program Packed with Finals and Sprints
Track and field accounts for a large concentration of Indian hopefuls. The multi-event women's heptathlon commences at 6:30 AM with Anamika Kozhinjaparambil and Pooja participating in the long jump, followed by the javelin throw at 7:55 AM. Their grueling schedule wraps up at 4:41 PM with the concluding 800m run.
The afternoon and evening sessions feature decisive medal contests. At 3:35 PM, the women's shot put final brings Krishna Jayasankar and Manpreet Kaur into the ring. Sprinters Animesh Kujur and Gurvindervir Singh will contest the men's 100m semifinals at 4:03 PM, aiming for spots in the final race slated for 6:50 PM. Field action continues at 4:33 PM with Baranica Elangovan and Sindhusree Ganesha competing in the women's pole vault final. Long-distance runner Gulveer Singh runs the men's 10,000m final at 5:02 PM, while Praveen Kumar and Damneet Singh will throw in the men's hammer throw final at 5:10 PM. In the 400m circuit, Prachi and Kiran compete in the women's section, while Vishal TK lines up in the men's heats.
Crucial Clashes in Badminton Courts and Boxing Rings
India's racquet specialists face demanding matchups on the court. Past 4:00 PM, the premier men's doubles tandem of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will take on Thailand's Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeraratsakul. Later at 6:10 PM, Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila battle Aminath Nabeeha Abdul Razzaq and Ahmed Nibal from the Maldives in mixed doubles. Women's doubles features pairings Simran Singhi with Kavipriya Selvam, alongside Gayatri Gopichand Pullela with Treesa Jolly, while Hariharan Amsakarunan and Arjun M.R. participate in men's doubles. In women's singles, Unnati Hooda challenges South Korea's Yu Min Song.
Combat sports and weightlifting also offer crucial progression. Inside the boxing ring at 10:15 AM, Sachin meets Jordan's Mohammad Abu Jajeh in the men's 60kg round of 16. In the women's 54kg bracket at 2:15 PM, Preeti faces North Korea's Pang Chol Mi. In weightlifting, Nirupama Devi Seram takes the platform at 1:30 PM in the women's 61kg final.
Aquatics, Equestrian, and High-Stakes Team Battles
Early morning aquatic heats kick off with Dhanush Suresh in heat 3 of the men's 50m breaststroke at 6:40 AM. At 6:58 AM, Utkarsh Patil and Rishabh Das swim the men's 200m backstroke, followed by Aneesh Gowda and Dhyan Sashikumar at 7:10 AM in the 400m freestyle. Veteran swimmer Sajan Prakash enters heat 3 of the 200m butterfly at 7:36 AM. Medal races across these swimming categories get underway at 1:35 PM.
In equestrian, the quartet of Jay Sood, Shruti Vora, Hriday Chheda, and Gaurav Pundir contest the dressage team final and individual first qualifier starting at 6:00 AM. On the turf, the Indian women's hockey team faces hosts Japan at 7:30 AM in a Pool B clash. In kabaddi semifinals, the women's squad plays Nepal at 9:30 AM, followed by the men's semifinal against Thailand at 10:45 AM for a place in the championship bout.
Widespread Representation in Other Arenas
Indian athletes will maintain presence across a variety of other arenas. The canoe sprint roster includes Neha Devi, Prohit Baroi, Megha Pradeep, and Prasanta Kumar across semifinal and final races. Fencing features the men's foil team against Hong Kong and the women's epee squad against Uzbekistan in round-of-16 ties. Squash quarterfinal fixtures see Tanvi Khanna, Joshana Chinappa, Anahat Singh, Velavan Senthilkumar, Veer Chotrani, and Abhay Singh competing for semifinal berths. Surfers Shivaraj Babu, Shugra Shanti Gayen, Kishore Kumar, and Kamali Prakash navigate wave heats. In table tennis, Sreeja Akula, Manush Shah, Diya Chitale, Harmeet Desai, Yashaswini Ghorpade, G. Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar, and Syndrela Das compete in singles, doubles, and mixed matches. Finally, in esports, India takes on South Korea in a Pokemon Unite Group C encounter.
