India’s Suchika Tariyal was left devastated after a controversial semifinal defeat at the 2026 Asian Games, with the 36-year-old facing criticism for refusing to shake hands with Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo. Tariyal had to settle for bronze in the women’s traditional 60kg category after a closely fought bout went against her on a weight-based tiebreaker.
Tariyal was visibly upset when Teo was declared the winner and did not immediately approach her opponent or the referee for the customary handshake. She initially refused to join the referee and Teo for the result announcement before eventually walking towards them after being coaxed by her coaches. Tariyal then broke down on the mat after the result was confirmed.
The Indian’s refusal to immediately shake hands with Teo drew criticism, as the gesture is traditionally seen as an important part of sportsmanship in combat sports. However, Tariyal had just seen her hopes of reaching the final disappear after a contest that went into overtime and was ultimately decided by a 700-gram difference in their morning weigh-in weights.
WHY SUCHIKA WAS UPSET
Tariyal and Teo battled through two rounds before the contest went into a one-minute overtime period. The Indian had initially fallen behind but fought back strongly in the second round, using her judo skills to take Teo down. Neither fighter was able to establish a clear advantage in overtime, leading to the Indian camp challenging the initial decision.
After the challenge, the bout was declared a draw. However, the rules meant that the winner would be determined using the fighters’ morning weigh-in figures. Teo was around 700 grams lighter than Tariyal and was therefore awarded the victory, securing her place in the final.
Tariyal later explained that she did not agree with the decision and believed she had won the bout. The Indian camp had also formally challenged the original result, after which the contest was changed to a draw before the weight rule was applied.
700 GRAMS THAT CHANGED THE RESULT
The MMA Sports Federation said the result was decided according to the competition rules. Federation president Nikhil Kunde told PTI that, after the challenge resulted in a draw, the winner was determined on the basis of the athletes’ weights recorded during the morning weigh-in.
“Since, the Singaporean was lighter than Suchika by around 700 grams, she moved to the final. Suchika settled for bronze,” Kunde said.
The result meant that Tariyal missed out on a place in the gold-medal bout despite taking the semifinal to overtime. Her bronze, however, was historic, as it became India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA, which made its debut at the continental event in 2026.
Tariyal had earlier secured her place in the semifinals by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The Haryana athlete has also represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
Her bronze marked a significant milestone for Indian MMA, even as her controversial semifinal and emotional reaction continued to attract attention after the bout.
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