From Taking Up Judo After Being Harassed at 12 to Winning India's First MMA Medal: How Suchika Tariyal Scripted History at 2026 Asian Games

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FOR MANY ATHLETES, the story of how they began their sporting journey is an inspiring one. Their interest in sports was probably cultivated in their formative years, a talent they kept nurturing as years passed by. But for Indian athlete Suchika Tariyal, her sporting journey began with a rather unpleasant experience — harassment. The 36-year-old athlete has recently scripted history by winning India’s first medal in mixed martial arts (MMA) at the 2026 Asian Games held in Nagoya, Japan.

On Monday, September 21, 2026, Suchika Tariyal made history for Indian MMA by winning a bronze medal in the women’s traditional -60kg semifinals at the 2026 Asian Games. After a high-stakes game against her opponent, Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo, Suchika settled for a bronze medal after Teo was awarded the semifinal on the basis of her lesser weight. Nevertheless, Suchika has earned India its maiden Asiana Games medal in MMA, clinching a new sporting achievement. 

When Suchika was eve-teased at the young age of 12, instead of getting scared she decided to take up Judo as a sport. Over the years, she represented India in many international sporting events and added medals after medals to her collection. Her recent performance at the Asian Games is one of her many achievements, marking a proud moment for India.

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Who is Asian Games MMA Medalist Suchika Tariyal?

Suchika Tariyal hails from Rohtak, Haryana. Following an incident of eve-teasing, she began practising Judo for self-defense. Eventually, her interest in the sport grew and she began training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and at the Dada Dev Mandir Center in Delhi, before moving onto the Sports Authority of India (SAI) facility in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Her decision to professionally pursue sports was not popular with her family, who were skeptical about sending their daughter alone to participate in sporting events.

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Their disapproval did little to suppress Suchika. She went on to establish herself as a prominent Judoka, participating in more than 20 international sporting competitions and won eight National Judo championships titles. 

Her Judo career includes a gold medal at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships, another gold at the 2019 South Asian Games, and a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships. Suchika represented India at multiple Asian Judo Championships and competed in the women’s -57 kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

However, Judo was only the beginning of her sporting journey. Suchika later shifted to Ju-Jitsu and reached the height of her sporting career in 2024, when she won gold in the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg category at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships. Later, she entered another new sporting territory and began training in mixed martial arts (MMA). 

Suchika made her MMA debut in 2017, but took a seven-year sabbatical after securing a win. She instead chose to focus on Judo and Ju-Jitsu instead. In 2024, she made her return back to professional MMA after signing a multi-fight deal with BRAVE Combat Federation in the women's strawweight division. Her comeback fight came at BRAVE CF 92 competition in Bahrain in December 2024, where she marked her return with another win.

Outside of her career as a sportsperson, Suchika has also worked in the public sector. She was hired as a head constable in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and later served a Junior Coach with Haryana Government’s Department of Sports.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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