India Gymnastics at Asian Games: Full team, Schedule, Medal chances

Pranati Nayak is India's lone entry in the Asian Games gymnastics in Hangzhou after the sports ministry cut down the squad to one, excluding eight members from the nominated nine.

In the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, ten gymnasts represented India.

Pranati will compete in the women's artistic gymnastics events. Apart from the women's all-around event, featuring vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, she will be competing in the four events separately.

India has been participating in the gymnastic events of the Asian Games since 1974. But India's record in the sport is nothing staggering. India won only one bronze in the Asian Games.

In the 2010 Asian Games, Ashish Kumar became the first Indian gymnast to win a medal in the men's floor event. It was India's first medal in gymnastics at a major event.

Indian Gymnastics squad for Asian Games:

Pranati Nayak - women's artistic individual all-around.

Schedule:

September 25: Individual All-around and Apparatus Qualification 7:30 AM IST

If Qualify for the Final then

September 27: Individual All-around Final 12:30 PM IST onwards

September 28: Apparatus Final (Vault, Uneven Bars) 12:00 Noon IST onwards

September 29: Apparatus Final (Balance Beam, Floor Exercise) 12:00 Noon IST onwards

With Dipa Karmakar, currently the face of Indian gymnastics, not being allowed to travel to Hangzhou for the Asian Games for not meeting the ministry's eligibility criteria, India will have representation only in women's artistic individual all-around category, where Pranati Nayak will compete.

How does Pranati fare at the Asian Games?

Pranati, a vault specialist, has won the bronze medal twice in Vault at the Asian Championships in 2019 and 2022.

The 28-year-old from West Bengal is only the second Indian female gymnast to compete in the Olympics Games in Tokyo in 2021 after Dipa.

Pranati competed at the Asian Games in 2014 and 2018. In 2014, competing in the women's all-around individual, Pranati finished 20th. However, delivering a creditable performance in Vault in 2018, she qualified for the final and made a sixth-place finish ahead of compatriots Aruna Reddy and Dipa Karmakar.

Even though she will be competing in an all-around event in Hangzhou, Pranati is expected to make it to the final only in the vault and put up an improved show there, as she has a proven track record in the vault. Pranati is expected to return home with a bronze medal, provided her recent performances. Her prime compatriots in the vault event will be South Korean's Yeo Seo-jeong and Japanese Shoko Miyata. The duo won the gold and silver medals at the Asian Championships.

India at Asian Games: Gymnastic record

Ashish Kumar won the bronze medal in the men's floor event at the 2010 Asian Games.