Pranati Nayak keeps India's gymnastic hopes alive, reaches Asian Games final
India’s lone gymnast at the 2026 Asian Games, Pranati Nayak, kept the country’s hopes alive in artistic gymnastics by qualifying for the women’s vault final with a seventh-place finish in the qualification round in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old, a three-time Asian Gymnastics Championships bronze medallist, produced a combined score of 12.916 from her two vaults to secure her place in the final, which will be held on September 24. The top eight gymnasts in the qualification standings advanced to the medal round.
Nayak began strongly with a score of 13.000 on her first vault, earning 4.400 for difficulty and 8.600 for execution. She followed it with 12.433 on her second attempt, with a difficulty score of 4.000 and an execution score of 8.433. Her average of 12.716 was supplemented by the 0.200 bonus listed in the results, giving her a final qualification mark of 12.916.
South Korea’s Seojeong Yeo topped the qualification standings with 14.466, scoring 14.300 and 14.233 on her two vaults. North Korea’s An Chang Ok, the reigning Asian Games champion, was second with 13.900 after scores of 14.000 and 13.400. Courtesy: Asian Games China’s Du Siyu finished third with 13.433, while Uzbekistan veteran Oksana Chusovitina, competing at another major Asian Games, was fourth with 13.266. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu occupied fifth place with 13.199, followed by Malaysia’s Yeap Kang Xian on 13.049.
Nayak completed the top seven, while Malaysia’s Marissa Zaiful Azian took the eighth and final qualifying spot with 12.849.WOMEN’S VAULT FINAL QUALIFIERS:Seojeong Yeo (South Korea) — 14.466An Chang Ok (North Korea) — 13.900Du Siyu (China) — 13.433Oksana Chusovitina (Uzbekistan) — 13.266Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu (Vietnam) — 13.199Yeap Kang Xian (Malaysia) — 13.049Pranati Nayak (India) — 12.916Marissa Zaiful Azian (Malaysia) — 12.849
Nayak’s qualification comes after she won silver in the women’s vault at the 2026 FIG World Challenge Cup in Tashkent, where she posted an average of 13.025 in the final.
The vault final is scheduled for September 24, with qualification scores not carrying over into the medal round.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 18:44 IST
