While much of the attention at the 2026 Asian Games centres on medal-round drama, several Indian athletes and teams saw their campaigns end at earlier stages of competition in Nagoya, well before the knockout rounds began in earnest.
## Table Tennis Men’s Group Stage Struggles
India’s men’s table tennis team lost twice in the group stage, including a defeat to Ireland, results that made their eventual round of 16 elimination to South Korea feel like a campaign that had been on the back foot from early on.
## Sepak Takraw’s Group Exit
India’s men’s regu sepak takraw team lost both group matches against Japan and Malaysia by identical 0-3 scorelines, results that left the team facing a steep climb to progress in the competition.
## Soft Tennis Group Stage Exits
Aadhya Tiwari was beaten 1-4 by Thailand’s Alisha Ziegler in the women’s singles group stage, while Aryan Thakur lost his own group contest to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Po-yi in the men’s draw, ending both campaigns before the knockout stages began.
## Wushu’s Quieter Results
Nyeman Wangsu finished 15th in the women’s Changquan final, while Hanjabam Langlentombi Devi placed ninth in the Nanquan and Nandao final, results that came earlier in the competition schedule than the medal drama surrounding Roshibina Devi’s Sanda campaign.
## Why Early Exits Matter Less in Headlines But Still Sting
These results rarely dominate headlines the way a dramatic quarterfinal or final loss does, but they represent real setbacks for athletes and teams who trained for years for a single Asian Games campaign. For the medal-round heartbreaks that followed some of these disciplines, see our roundup of India’s quarterfinal losses and biggest disappointments at these Games.
## Looking Ahead
With individual events still ongoing in several of these sports, some athletes retain the chance to rebound in Nagoya before the Games conclude on October 4.