‘Shattered, teary-eyed’: Indian MMA fighter Suchika Tariyal wins historic Asian Games bronze

Tariyal settled for bronze after losing to Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon in the women’s traditional -60kg semi-final.

Despite taking the bout into extra time, the judges ruled in favour of the Singaporean fighter, ending Tariyal’s campaign with a bronze medal.

There was high drama on stage during the medal ceremony, as Tariyal initially refused to step onto the platform for the winner’s announcement, apparently anticipating the verdict.

She eventually walked onto the stage after her coach insisted, but appeared visibly emotional and left in tears.

Tariyal had secured a medal for India by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

Hailing from Rohtak, Haryana, Tariyal began her sporting journey after facing an incident of eve-teasing in 2012. The experience motivated her to take up judo as a means of self-defence.

She subsequently went on to become an international-level judoka, representing India in more than 20 international competitions.

An eight-time National Judo Champion, Tariyal has also won gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games.