Malayali athletes concluded their campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a smashing win and they played a decisive role in India's overall medal tally.
In the 2026 Asian Games, eight Malayali athletes combined to win a total of ten medals (1 Gold, 7 Silver, and 2 Bronze).
Compared to the record-breaking performance in the 2023 Hangzhou Games where the Kerala athletes bagged a historic high of 12 medals (4 Gold, 6 Silver, 2 Bronze), the 2026 edition saw a slight dip in the overall tally.
But Kerala maintained its golden streak in cricket (Minnu Mani in 2023 to Sanju Samson in 2026) and expanded its footprint with maiden historic medals in shooting and sailing.
Let's see how they performed in the 2026 Asian Games for our upcoming Kerala PSC exams.
Malayali Medal Winners at Asian Games 2026
For the 2026 Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the Kerala team arrived with a total of 28 athletes as a part of the Indian contingent.
Out of which 11 of them were part of India's 77-member Indian athletics team. The major disciplines in which the Kerala team participated are as follows:
- Athletics,
- Cricket,
- Badminton,
- Volleyball,
- Swimming,
- Shooting,
- Sailing,
- Esports.
From these 28 athletes, 8 key sportspersons claimed a total of 10 medals (1 Gold, 7 Silver, 2 Bronze) for the nation. They are:
| Athlete | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson | Men's Cricket Team | Gold |
| M. Sreeshankar | Men's Long Jump | Silver |
| Ancy Sojan | Women's Long Jump | Silver |
| Vidarsa K. Vinod | Women's 10m Air Rifle Team | Silver |
| Vidarsa K. Vinod | Women's 50m Rifle 3P Team | Silver |
| T. S. Manu | Mixed 4×400m Relay | Silver |
| T. S. Manu | Men's 4×400m Relay | Bronze |
| Prince Noble & Manu Francis | Men's Skiff Sailing | Silver |
| M. R. Arjun | Men's Badminton Team | Bronze |
1. Sanju Samson: Cricket (Gold)
Kerala's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson won the gold medal as part of the Indian Men's Cricket Team at the Asian Games.
India defeated Pakistan in the final to secure gold in men's cricket, making Sanju Samson the only Malayali athlete to win a gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games.
2. M. Sreeshankar:Long Jump (Silver)
Palakkad native M. Sreeshankar won the silver medal in the Men's Long Jump with a distance of 8.07 meters, achieved on his second attempt.
China's Yu Haowen won gold, while Uzbekistan's Anvar Anvarov took bronze.
3. Vidarsa K. Vinod: Shooting (2 Silver Medals)
Vidarsa K. Vinod, a native of Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district, won two silver medals in shooting at the 2026 Asian Games.
- 10m Air Rifle Team: The Indian women's team consisting of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa K. Vinod won silver in the 10m Air Rifle Team event.
- 50m Rifle 3-Positions Team: with team mates Ashi Chouksey and Tilottama Sen won silver in the Women's 50m Rifle 3-Positions event.
Vidarsa also created history by becoming:
- The first shooter from Kerala to win an Asian Games medal.
- The first woman shooter from Kerala to win an Asian Games medal.
Alert:
- The first Indian woman to win 2 silver medals in Asian Games – P.T. Usha (1982 New Delhi games: 100m & 200m)
4. T. S. Manu: 4×400m Relay (Silver & Bronze)
Hailing from Wayanad, T. S. Manu secured two medals at the 2026 Asian Games.
- Mixed 4×400m Relay (Silver): along with M. R. Poovamma, T. K. Vishal & Vithya Ramraj finished with a time of 3:14.46 to win silver.
- Men's 4×400m Relay (Bronze): with Dharamveer Choudhary, Jai Kumar, and Vishal T. K. to secure bronze with a timing of 3:01.61.
5. Prince Noble & Manu Francis: Sailing (Silver)
Prince Noble and Manu Francis bagged a silver medal in the Men's Skiff Sailing event.
Both hailing from Ernakulam, they are relatives and childhood friends. The Indian pair clinched silver after completing nine races.
6. M. R. Arjun
Belonging from Kochi, M. R. Arjun secured a Bronze medal as an integral part of the Indian Men's Badminton Team at the 2026 Asian Games.
Partnering with Hariharan Amsakarunan in doubles, his contributions were crucial in solidifying Kerala's presence in Badminton on the Asian games platform.
Apart these, there is one more Malayali Origin athlete who won medal at the 2026 Asian Games ie, H.S. Prannoy.
This Kerala-born badminton star was part of India’s men’s badminton team that won the bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Game.
Although Prannoy has his roots in Kerala, he switched his state affiliation from Kerala to Tamil Nadu for national-level competitions after obtaining an NOC from the Kerala Badminton Association.
2026 Asian Games at a Glance
- Total Participants from Kerala – 28 Athletes.
- Malayali Medal Winners – 8 (Sanju Samson, M. Sreeshankar, Ancy Sojan, Vidarsa K. Vinod, T. S. Manu, Prince Noble, Manu Francis, M. R. Arjun)
- Total Medals Count – 10 Medals
- Gold (1) – Sanju Samson (Cricket)
- Silver (7) – M. Sreeshankar (Long Jump), Ancy Sojan (Long Jump), Vidarsa K. Vinod (Shooting), T. S. Manu (Relay), Prince Noble & Manu Francis (Sailing)
- Bronze (2) – T. S. Manu (Relay), M. R. Arjun (Badminton Team)
- Athletes who won 2 Medals – Vidarsa K. Vinod, T. S. Manu.
- First Asian Games Medalist in Shooting from Kerala – Vidarsa K. Vinod.
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