Asian Games : Suchika Tariyal Breaks Down After Historic Bronze! The Strange Reason Behind Her Disappointment

22nd September 2026 at 11:21 AM

2 minutes read

Nagoya (Japan): Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) made its debut at the Asian Games this time, and Suchika Tariyal became the first Indian athlete to win a medal in the sport. However, despite securing a historic bronze medal, Suchika was deeply disappointed and broke down in tears. She was so upset that she even refused to shake hands with Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo after the semifinal.

Both competitors started celebrating!

Thirty-six-year-old Suchika competed in the women’s Traditional 60kg semifinal. She and her coach protested against the way the semifinal result was decided. Both competitors displayed almost equal strength and skill during the bout, making it difficult to determine who was the winner. As there was no result in regular time, the bout went into overtime, during which Suchika successfully stopped Hui Hoon’s late attack. When the bout was declared over, both competitors began celebrating, believing that they had won.

The referee initially declared Hui Hoon the winner, prompting an immediate protest from the Indian camp. Following the protest, the bout was declared a draw, after which it was announced that the result would be decided on the basis of the competitors’ weight. Hui Hoon was subsequently declared the semifinal winner.

Suchika distraught https://t.co/cBpo4ij5s4
— Sports Fan (@SportsFanOLY) September 21, 2026

Suchika’s higher weight cost her; India’s medal tally reached six

Normally, competitors are weighed on the day of the competition. According to the judges’ panel, Suchika was 700 grams heavier than Hui Hoon. Since the lighter competitor gets the advantage under the rules, Hui Hoon was declared the winner and advanced to the final, while Suchika had to settle for bronze.

With Suchika’s bronze, India’s medal tally at the Asian Games rose to six. The tally included four silver medals and one bronze won by Indian shooters, along with Suchika’s MMA bronze.

Coach takes Suchika away after calming her down

After the judges’ panel announced the result, the referee called both competitors onto the competition mat for the customary declaration of the winner by raising the winner’s hand.

Suchika initially did not go to the referee, but went after her coach persuaded her to do so. As soon as the referee raised Hui Hoon’s hand and declared her the winner, Suchika knelt down on the mat and broke down in tears.

When Hui Hoon approached her to shake hands, Suchika refused. Eventually, one of her coaches reached her, tried to calm her down and escorted her away from the competition area.