Suchika Tariyal cries inconsolably after losing MMA semi-final, refuses to hold referee's hand as winner is announced

Suchika Tariyal secured India’s historic MMA bronze at the Asian Games but was left devastated after a controversial 0-2 semifinal loss to Singapore’s Teo.

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India confirmed their fourth medal at the 2026 Asian Games, and a historic one at that, when Suchika Tariyal clinched a historic bronze in the women’s MMA -60kg semifinal. With MMA making its Asian Games debut, Suchika made up for Varun Sanyal’s disqualification less than 24 hours ago by first assuring India of a medal and then securing a third-place finish. However, the event turned bittersweet when Suchika, convinced that she had beaten Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo, struggled to come to terms with the 0-2 loss. Fiercely confident that she had progressed to the final, which would have assured her at least a silver medal, Suchika was left devastated when Hui Hoon was declared the winner of the bout.

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The closely fought bout ended in a draw after regulation time, with Teo mounting an attack in the final few seconds. Tariyal then managed to get her opponent down just as the buzzer went off. Even as the bout headed into overtime, the combatants matched each other blow for blow.

As soon as the final whistle blew, Suchika started fistpumping and even draped the Indian tricolour over her shoulders. But perhaps the final verdict reached her first, reducing her to an emotional wreck. Suchika initially refused to come up to the mat and hold the referee’s hand, even as the official repeatedly requested her to. At last, she reluctantly did so, but walked away mouthing her disappointment with the result.

Coach's support little consolation

A distraught Suchika couldn’t believe what had transpired, and her disbelief soon gave way to tears rolling down her cheeks. Overcome with emotion, Suchika went down on her knees before being consoled by her coach. Still, there was little comfort.

Suchika comes from an interesting sporting background. A back-to-back bronze medallist at the Asian MMA Championships, she was, interestingly, a judoka before transitioning into MMA in 2017. The 36-year-old from Haryana took up combat sports after facing street harassment at 12 and went on to become a multi-discipline athlete, representing India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.

She had assured herself of a medal on Sunday by defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals to book her place in the last four. After Suchika, India added two more medals when shooters Rudrankksh Patil and Himanshu Dhillon clinched a bronze and silver, respectively, in the men's 10m air rifle individual event.

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  Aditya Bhattacharya is the Sports Editor at Hindustan Times Digital, with close to 15 years of experience in sports journalism. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading media organisations including Cricbuzz, The Times of India, Network18 and Zee. Primarily a cricket writer, Aditya has covered several marquee events, including the 2016 ICC World T20, the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and the 2023 World Cup in India. His reporting portfolio also includes international cricket across England, South Africa and New Zealand, along with forays into tennis, including coverage of the Australian Open. He has interviewed several prominent athletes across sports. Aditya began his career with a brief stint at CricketNext before getting his first major break at Cricbuzz, where he was part of the Times Network’s startup venture GoCricket, which later merged with Cricbuzz. After nearly 18 months there, he moved to The Times of India, covering his first World Cup assignment and reporting first-hand on landmark moments such as Virat Kohli’s iconic innings against Australia in Mohali. During his three-year tenure, he played a key role in both reporting and desk operations and was recognised as TOI Employee of the Quarter in 2016. He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight. At Hindustan Times, Aditya’s leadership came to the fore as he was promoted to lead the sports team within 18 months. Under his stewardship, the section has delivered extensive coverage of global sporting events, including the IPL, Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. In 2024, he was named HT DigiStar of the Year. Aditya continues to adapt to the evolving digital publishing landscape, with a sharp focus on search and audience engagement. Outside work, he occasionally plays the guitar and remains an avid gamer.Read More