Asian Games 2026: Silver for Ancy Sojan! India's Long Jump Star Falls Just 2cm Short Of Gold In Thrilling Final

Ancy Sojan Edappilly is an Asian Games medallist once again, winning silver in the Women's Long Jump at Asian Games 2026 with a best effort of 6.53m. The Kerala jumper led the competition from Round 1 and looked on course for gold deep into the contest, before China's Huang Yingying pulled out a decisive 6.55m late on to snatch the top spot — a margin of just 2cm separating gold from silver.

Ancy held on for the silver ahead of China's Tan Mengyi, who took bronze with 6.46m, adding another medal to India's growing tally at the Games.

This is Ancy's second successive Asian Games silver in the event, having also finished runner-up at Hangzhou 2022. Born in Nattika, Kerala, and now serving with the Indian Navy, the 25-year-old has enjoyed a landmark 2026 season — in June, she produced a stunning leap of 6.88m at the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar, shattering Anju Bobby George's 22-year-old national record of 6.83m that had stood since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

That performance came on top of a silver at the 2025 Asian Championships and a bronze at the 2026 Asian Indoor Championships, cementing her status as one of the leading long jumpers on the continent heading into Nagoya.

It was a heartbreaking near-miss for India's other medal hope in the event, Shaili Singh, who was sitting in bronze medal position for large parts of the competition before being pushed out of the podium on the very last round of jumps. The Asian U20 record holder ultimately finished fourth with a best of 6.42m, agonisingly close to a medal of her own.

Even so, Ancy Sojan's silver ensures India once again strikes gold-adjacent form in the long jump, extending the country's remarkable recent run in the event at the Asian Games.