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Overcoming early trauma, Suchika Tariyal eyes MMA medal for India at Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya
Suchika Tariyal represented India in kurash at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and has since won back-to-back bronze medals at the Asian MMA Championships. She will now aim for success in MMA, which is set to debut at the 2026 Asian Games.
Suchika Tariyal, one of India’s most versatile combat sports exponents, is pushing herself for a dream Asian Games 2026 podium finish in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition, which will make its debut at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. An eve-teasing incident when she was just 12 forced the Rohtak girl to take up judo for self-protection.
Little did Tariyal know that one day she would become a hugely popular MMA athlete and youth icon, with more than 300,000 Instagram followers, and represent India at the global stage with considerable success.
Supported by the sports ministry’s Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme, Tariyal will represent India in the traditional 60 kg category, a competition where she has won back-to-back bronze medals at the Asian MMA championships in January and May this year.
