Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar Win Mixed Doubles Squash Bronze
Two games, two finishes at 11-10, and one very unlucky semifinal. That is the short version of how Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar ended up with a squash mixed doubles bronze in Nagoya. The match was played on 26 September 2026 at the Asian Games.
The medal is not gold, but the story behind it is rich. A 40-year-old veteran and a 28-year-old first-timer shared the court and the podium. All facts below are accurate as of 3 October 2026.
The Squash Mixed Doubles Bronze Result
Joshna and Velavan were the third seeds in the mixed doubles event. They met Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong in the semifinal on Saturday, 26 September 2026.
Hong Kong won 2-1 with game scores of 11-10, 2-11 and 11-10. India lost the semifinal 10-11, 11-2, 10-11, and the pair left with bronze.
In squash at these Games, both losing semifinalists receive a bronze medal. That is why a semifinal exit still means a place on the podium.
So the squash mixed doubles bronze was secured the moment the pair won their quarterfinal. The semifinal only decided whether they would play for gold.
The Match Was Closer Than the Score Suggests
Let me share a number that surprised me. Joshna and Velavan scored 31 points in the semifinal. Hong Kong scored 24.
India scored 31 points to Hong Kong’s 24 and still lost the match. That happens in squash because games are won, not points.
Game One: 10-11
Both pairs played long rallies and neither side built a real lead. Hong Kong edged the opener by a single point.
Game Two: 11-2
The Indian pair answered with an attacking game. They raced to 3-0, stretched it to 7-2, and finished 11-2.
Game Three: 10-11
The decider was another one-point game. Hong Kong kept their composure at the end and moved into the final.
Two one-point losses in a three-game match is painful. A single extra rally in either game would have sent India through to the gold medal match.
Both of those 11-10 games must have reached 10-10, since the winner needed to move from 10 to 11.
At that stage, nerve counts for more than technique. Hong Kong won that fight twice. India dominated the game in between.
The Road to the Podium
The squash mixed doubles bronze came after a clean run through the early rounds. In the round of 16, Joshna and Velavan beat the pair of Suraj and Shameena.
On Friday, 25 September 2026, they faced the Philippines in the quarterfinal. David William Pelino and Jemyca Aribado lost 11-3 and 11-5.
The quarterfinal win by 11-3, 11-5 locked in the medal. Those two games were comfortable, and they showed the pair at their best.
Two straight-game wins, then a three-game loss by the thinnest of margins. That is not the record of a pair that got lucky.
Joshna Chinappa and the Missing Gold
Joshna was born on 15 September 1986. She started squash at the age of seven.
This was her seventh Asian Games. Reports describe the bronze as her sixth medal at the event, after two silvers and three bronzes in earlier editions.
Her record elsewhere is excellent. She won doubles gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and doubles silver at the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast.
At the Asian Squash Championships she won mixed doubles gold in Johor in 2024. She added doubles gold in Kuala Lumpur in 2025.
The Asian Games gold is still the one medal missing from Joshna’s collection. One report called it elusive, and that is a fair word.
Think about that for a second. Seven editions of the Games, and the top step is still empty. Few athletes keep showing up that long.
Velavan Senthilkumar and a First Asian Games Medal
Velavan was born on 26 March 1998. For him, this squash mixed doubles bronze was a first medal at the Asian Games.
He is no stranger to podiums, though. He has won Asian doubles titles with Abhay Singh in men’s doubles in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
He also took mixed doubles bronze at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2025. His partner there was Joshna, so this was not a new pairing.
Velavan has now medalled with Joshna at two different major events. That shared history probably helped them stay calm when games reached 10-10.
Velavan has also said in an interview that working with mental coach Paul Price has helped him. Calm minds matter a lot in a game that can end at 11-10.
A Pairing With 11 Years Between Them
Joshna was born in September 1986 and Velavan in March 1998. That is a gap of more than eleven years.
A pairing like this can work well. The older player brings patience and knowledge of the big stage, while the younger one brings pace and reach.
Here is my own view. Mixed doubles often rewards partners who know each other well, and these two have been in the same circuit for years. That is an opinion, not a measured fact.
Why the Squash Mixed Doubles Bronze Matters for India
India won mixed doubles gold at the Hangzhou Games in 2023 through Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Sandhu. That makes this bronze a step down in colour, but not in importance.
India has now medalled in squash mixed doubles at back-to-back Asian Games. That is a useful sign of depth in the format.
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh also reached singles finals in Nagoya. The mixed doubles bronze sits next to those two silvers in India’s squash story. Taken together, the three medals show a squad that can compete across singles and doubles.
The medal also gives Velavan a first Asian Games podium. For a player who is still 28, that matters for confidence heading into future seasons.
For Joshna, the squash mixed doubles bronze adds to a career that began with a racket at age seven. Her chances at another Games are a question for later, and only she can answer it.
Stats Table
| Item | Detail |
| Event | Mixed doubles squash |
| Games | Asian Games 2026, Nagoya |
| Semifinal date | 26 September 2026 |
| Semifinal score | 10-11, 11-2, 10-11 |
| Points won in the semifinal | 31 (Hong Kong: 24) |
| Quarterfinal score | 11-3, 11-5 vs Philippines |
| Medal | Squash mixed doubles bronze |
| Joshna’s age | 40 |
| Velavan’s age | 28 |
| Seeding | Third |
Latest News Note
As of 3 October 2026, the squash events in Nagoya are finished. The mixed doubles bronze stands as the medal for Joshna and Velavan in this event.
Reference pages also list a bronze in the mixed team event for both players at these Games. Because medal counts change as results are confirmed, check the official medal table before quoting Joshna’s total.
Key Takeaways
- Event and result: A squash mixed doubles bronze at the Asian Games 2026.
- Semifinal score: Lost 10-11, 11-2, 10-11 to Hong Kong on 26 September 2026.
- Points total: India scored 31 points to Hong Kong’s 24.
- Joshna’s count: Reported as her sixth Asian Games medal, with gold still missing.
- Velavan’s milestone: First Asian Games medal for the 28-year-old.
- Age gap: The two players are more than eleven years apart.
FAQs
Who won the squash mixed doubles bronze for India at the Asian Games 2026?
Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won the bronze medal.
Who beat Joshna and Velavan in the semifinal?
Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong won 11-10, 2-11, 11-10.
Is this Velavan Senthilkumar’s first Asian Games medal?
Yes, reports describe the squash mixed doubles bronze as his first medal at the event.
How many Asian Games medals does Joshna Chinappa have?
Reports call this bronze her sixth Asian Games medal, though reference pages may show a different count after the mixed team result.
Why does a semifinal loss still win a medal in squash?
Both losing semifinalists receive a bronze medal at these Games.
Conclusion
The squash mixed doubles bronze belongs to a pair who lost the semifinal by the smallest margin possible, twice. They scored more points than Hong Kong and still missed the final.
As of 3 October 2026, Joshna Chinappa waits for a first Asian Games gold, and Velavan Senthilkumar has his first medal. Both facts make this squash mixed doubles bronze worth remembering.
