Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated the Indian men’s badminton team and the skeet mixed team pair of Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal for winning bronze medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Congratulating Naruka and Parinaaz, PM Modi highlighted that their bronze in the skeet mixed team event marked India’s first-ever medal in the discipline at the Asian Games.
“Congratulations to Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Anantjeet Singh Naruka on winning the Bronze Medal in the Skeet Mixed Team event at the Asian Games. Their achievement marks India’s first-ever medal in this event at the Asian Games. Best wishes to both of them! May this success inspire many more milestones in the times to come,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
Naruka and Parinaaz secured the bronze after a closely contested final in Aichi. The Indian pair finished with 44 hits from 48 shots, level with South Korea. South Korea claimed silver on the basis of qualifying scores, while China won gold with 45 hits.
The Indian pair produced a perfect eight from eight in their final series to finish on 44 hits and secure the historic medal.
PM Modi also congratulated India’s men’s badminton team for winning bronze in the team event.
“Congratulations to our Men’s Badminton Team on winning the Bronze Medal at the Asian Games! This medal reflects their passion and hard work. The entire team displayed great spirit throughout the competition. Best wishes to them for the events ahead,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in another post on X.
India secured the badminton bronze after losing 1-3 to defending champions China in the semifinals. Lakshya Sen lost the opening singles match to Shi Yuqi before Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty levelled the tie with a victory over Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
Ayush Shetty then lost to Li Shifeng, while M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan went down to He Ji Ting and Liu Yi in the decisive fourth match.
The medal was India’s second in badminton at the Asian Games, following Satwik and Chirag’s men’s doubles gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
(IANS Inputs)
