How did India's sole Gymnast Pranati Nayak fare at Asian Games 2026?

India's Pranati Nayak finished sixth in the women's vault final at the Asian Games 2026, ending India's gymnastics campaign in the event without a medal.

Competing in an eight-gymnast final, Nayak produced an overall score of 13.100. She registered 12.900 in both Vault 1 and Vault 2, with a 0.20 bonus added to her final score. The result placed her sixth, ahead of Malaysia's Yeap Kang Xian and Zaiful Azian Marissa.

South Korea's Yeo Seojeong won the gold medal with an impressive 14.483, while North Korea's An Chang Ok claimed silver with 13.666. China's Du Siyu completed the podium with 13.450. Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Quynh Nhu finished fourth with 13.449, while Uzbekistan's Oksana Chusovitina was fifth on 13.199.

Nayak had entered the final after finishing seventh in qualification. Although she could not secure a podium finish, her appearance added another major international chapter to the experienced Indian gymnast's career and gave India representation in the highly competitive vault final. Her sixth-place finish kept her among the competitors in the Asian field.

Pranati was the sole gymnast from India in the Asian Games, and there will no medal at least in this edition of the competition for India.

Who is Pranati Nayak?

Pranati Nayak is one of India's most experienced artistic gymnasts and a specialist in the vault event. Born on April 6, 1995, in Jhargram, West Bengal, Nayak has represented India at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

Nayak began gymnastics at the age of seven in her hometown. She moved to Kolkata as a young athlete to pursue the sport seriously and trained under Minara Begum, who played a major role in supporting her early career. Interestingly, Nayak initially took up gymnastics because she thought it was similar to yoga, which she practised as a child.

Her international senior debut came in 2012, and she soon became a regular member of India's gymnastics contingent.

Career and major achievements

Nayak won the vault bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, followed by another bronze in the same event at the 2022 Asian Championships. She also won a third Asian Championships vault bronze in 2025.

One of the biggest moments of her career came in 2021, when she qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. She became only the second Indian woman gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games, following Dipa Karmakar. In 2026, Nayak added another major international achievement by winning silver in vault at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Tashkent, scoring 13.025 in the final.