Indian athlete wins first Asian Games MMA medal
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Suchika Tariyal of Rohtak, India, became the first athlete from her country to win an Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
At age 12, Tariyal began training in judo as a way to defend herself after an incident of eve-teasing. She continued to compete and win medals in judo and Ju-Jitsu, including a gold medal at the 2024 JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships, before turning to MMA in 2017.
After a seven-year break from MMA, Tariyal returned to the sport in December 2024 and signed with BRAVE Combat Federation. She then secured bronze medals at the Asian MMA Championships in January and May, leading to her participation in the Asian Games. Tariyal defeated Altanchimeg Baigalmaa of Mongolia 2-0 in the women’s -60kg quarterfinal, guaranteeing herself a bronze medal.
She previously competed in kurash at the 2022 Asian Games, but felt unprepared due to the sport’s lack of popularity in India. Tariyal hopes her success will encourage more young women in India to take up self-defense and combat sports, and she received support from the sports ministry’s Target Asian Games Group scheme.
