Altanchimeg baigalmaa

Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Suchika Tariyal broke new ground for Indian mixed martial arts on Sunday, becoming the country’s first athlete to secure an Asian Games medal in MMA after powering into the women’s traditional -60kg semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

The 36-year-old produced a composed performance against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa, securing a 2-0 quarterfinal victory to enter the last four and guarantee India at least a bronze medal.

For Tariyal, the achievement adds another significant chapter to a sporting career that has taken her across multiple combat disciplines. A national-level judoka, she represented India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where she reached the bronze-medal bout, and later competed in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.