Netrra Kumaran secures third sailing medal for India at 2026 Asian Games

Kaioh Yacht Harbor saw Indian sailor Netrra Kumaran climb onto the podium with a bronze in the women's dinghy at the 2026 Asian Games.

The two‑race final left her with 14 net points, just one point shy of Singapore’s Jania Eng who earned silver, and three behind Thailand’s Sofia Montgomeri, the gold medallist.

India’s sailing success at these Games now totals three medals: a men’s skiff silver by Manu Francis and Prince Kuriscunkal Noble, a women’s skiff bronze by Harshita Tomar and Sheetal Verma, and Kumaran’s recent bronze.

After securing seven recalculated points in the qualification series, Kumaran entered the final. She was sixth after race one, but a win in race two added a point and moved her into third overall. Tied at 14 points with Hong Kong’s Stephanie Norton, a better head‑to‑head record gave her the bronze.

Kumaran made history as the first Indian woman to qualify for the Olympics in 2021 and repeated the feat for Paris 2024.

In the men’s dinghy, two‑time Olympian Vishnu Saravanan placed fourth with 21 points; Korea’s Ha Ji‑min took gold and Malaysia’s Khairul Najam Mohamed Afendi secured silver.

The Indian canoe slalom effort fell short of a medal. Five athletes contested five disciplines – men’s kayak single, men’s kayak cross, women’s canoe single, women’s kayak single and women’s kayak cross. The best result came from Pradyumn Singh Rathod, who finished sixth in men’s kayak single with a 125.21 score, after a six‑second penalty.