From Neeraj Chopra to Nikhat Zareen — Here are major Indian athletes who will miss Asian Games 2026

Neeraj Chopra, Vinesh Phogat and Nikhat Zareen will be missing in action at the 2026 Asian Games.

India secured more than 100 medals at the Asian Games in 2023 and its athletes will aim to emulate this feat at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan, which begin on Saturday.

However, despite their best efforts, a few athletes, some of whom were top medal prospects, failed to make the cut for the continental showpiece.

Neeraj Chopra - Javelin Throw

Without a doubt, the biggest name missing from the Indian contingent is ace javelin thrower and reigning Asian champion Neeraj Chopra. The 28-year-old suffered an ankle injury shortly after the Diamond League Final, where he secured a second-place finish.

Yashvir Singh was named as Neeraj’s replacement, and he will combine with Rohit Yadav to keep India’s hopes of a double podium alive — a feat Neeraj and Kishore Jena achieved at the Hangzhou Games three years ago.

Tejas Shirse - 110m Hurdles

Tejas Shirse, India’s National-Record holder in 110-metre hurdles, also misses out due to a foot injury.

The 24-year-old was last seen on the track at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where he clocked 13.76 seconds in the heats. However, he finished last in the finals owing to the injury.

Nikhat Zareen - Boxing

The two-time World champion and bronze medallist from Asian Games 2023, Nikhat Zareen, will also not be competing at the Aichi-Nagoya Games after not making the cut in the qualifying tournament.

The 29-year-old, competing in the 51kg category, lost to Sakshi Chaudhary in the semifinals at the National trials in Patiala in May.

Vinesh Phogat - Wrestling

Vinesh Phogat is another big name not in the Indian contingent for Asian Games 2026. The star grappler made a return to the mat after her Paris Olympics heartbreak and appeared for the National trials in the 53kg weight category.

She won the opening two bouts but her comeback hopes were quashed after she lost 6-4 to Meenakshi in the semifinals. Antim Panghal eventually won the weight category.

Divyanshi Choudhary - Wushu

Divyanshi Choudhary’s omission from these Asian Games sparked a big controversy. The 18-year-old posted a video on social media and claimed she had been unfairly removed from the contingent.

However, the Wushu Federation of India later issued a clarification, sharing a timeline of Divyanshi’s ACL injury and claimed it had not selected her keeping her recovery in mind. Divyanshi eventually accepted the decision.

Published on Sep 19, 2026

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