Harschit Damodharan wins gold, Akshat Bajaj silver at Asian Gymnastics Championships
Synopsis
India's Harschit Damodharan and Akshat Bajaj pulled off a 1-2 finish in the Junior Men's Vault at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Zunyi — a feat no Indian pair had managed before at a continental meet. With a gold that male Indian gymnasts had never clinched internationally, and a training pipeline backed by the Odisha Government, this result could mark the start of a new chapter ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games and a potential 2036 home Olympics.
Key Takeaways
Harschit Damodharan won gold in the Junior Men's Vault at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Zunyi on 23 June 2025 with a score of 13.649 .
Akshat Bajaj claimed silver with 13.433 , giving India its first-ever 1-2 podium sweep at a continental gymnastics championship.
Uzbekistan's Bekzad Bakhtiyarov took bronze with 13.283 .
India had also won a team bronze at the same championships on 19 June .
Both gymnasts are part of a training programme supported by the Odisha Government and are targeting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and 2036 Olympics .
Harschit Damodharan and Akshat Bajaj scripted history for Indian gymnastics on 23 June 2025 by finishing 1-2 in the Junior Men's Vault event at the 13th Senior and 19th Junior Men's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Zunyi, China — the first time India has claimed a gold-silver podium sweep at a continental gymnastics championship.
The Historic Scores
Damodharan topped the vault final with a score of 13.649 points, edging out teammate Bajaj, who secured silver with 13.433. Uzbekistan's Bekzad Bakhtiyarov took bronze with 13.283. The gold-silver finish was officially highlighted by the Asian Gymnastics Union on its website, which described it as 'one of the headline results of the junior finals.'
Damodharan had already signalled his intent by topping the qualifying rounds. In the final, his opening handspring front double twist earned 13.866 points, and a composed Tsukahara 720 on his second attempt sealed the gold. Bajaj matched him in technical precision, executing Tsukahara 720 and Yurchenko 720 routines to average 13.433 for silver.
Context: A Breakthrough for Junior Indian Gymnastics
Indian gymnastics has produced celebrated names at the senior level — Dipa Karmakar, who won gold at the 2018 World Cup in Mersin and the 2024 Asian Championships in Tashkent and famously attempted the Produnova at the 2016 Rio Olympics; Ashish Kumar, who won a silver and bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi; Aruna Reddy, bronze medallist at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Melbourne; and Pranati Nayak, multiple medallist at Asian Championships and FIG World Cups. Yet a gold medal — particularly for male gymnasts — had remained elusive at the international level until Damodharan's breakthrough in Zunyi.
Notably, this result comes on the back of India's team bronze at the same championships on 19 June, underscoring a broader upswing in the country's junior gymnastics programme.
The Odisha Government's Training Programme
Both Damodharan and Bajaj are products of a structured training programme backed by the Odisha Government. Damodharan himself hails from Uttar Pradesh. Their success is being cited as evidence that targeted state-level investment in gymnastics infrastructure can yield international results at the junior level — a model that could be replicated nationally.
Political Recognition and What Comes Next
Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), called it 'a historic milestone for Indian sports,' adding, 'A proud moment for every Indian!' Delhi's Home Minister Ashish Sood also posted on X, extending congratulations to Damodharan and noting the 'historic team bronze' alongside the gold-silver finish.
The duo's immediate targets are the senior circuit, with both the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympics — which India is bidding to host — firmly in their sights. If the momentum holds, Zunyi may well be remembered as the moment Indian men's gymnastics turned a corner.
Point of View
But because male Indian gymnasts had never won internationally at this level before, even as the women's programme produced Dipa Karmakar and Aruna Reddy. The Odisha Government's training model deserves scrutiny: if state investment is what moved the needle, the question is why it took this long and whether the Sports Authority of India can institutionalise it nationally. The 2036 Olympics bid gives this result a convenient political framing, but the real test will be whether Damodharan and Bajaj can make the transition to senior competition — historically where Indian gymnastics' momentum has stalled.
NationPress
26 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Harschit Damodharan achieve at the Asian Gymnastics Championships?
Harschit Damodharan won the gold medal in the Junior Men's Vault event at the 13th Senior and 19th Junior Men's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Zunyi on 23 June 2025, scoring 13.649 points. It is the first international gold medal won by a male Indian gymnast at a continental championship.
Who is Akshat Bajaj and what did he win?
Akshat Bajaj is an Indian junior gymnast who won the silver medal in the same Junior Men's Vault event with a score of 13.433, completing India's historic 1-2 finish. He executed Tsukahara 720 and Yurchenko 720 routines in the final.
Why is India's 1-2 finish historically significant?
It is the first time India has claimed a gold-silver podium sweep at a continental gymnastics championship. While Indian women gymnasts like Dipa Karmakar and Aruna Reddy had won international medals before, a gold at this level had eluded Indian male gymnasts entirely.
What training programme do Damodharan and Bajaj belong to?
Both gymnasts are part of a training programme supported by the Odisha Government. Their success has been cited as evidence that targeted state-level investment in gymnastics can produce international results at the junior level.
What are the next targets for these gymnasts?
Damodharan and Bajaj are targeting senior-level competitions, with the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympics — which India is bidding to host — as their long-term goals. The duo will first need to make the transition to senior competition, where Indian gymnastics has historically struggled to sustain momentum.
