Suchika Tariyal made a historic mark at the Asian Games by winning a bronze medal, but her journey was tinged with disappointment after a weight-based tiebreaker prevented her from competing for gold. The Indian mixed martial artist expressed her frustrations about losing the chance to fight for a final after her semifinal match against Singapore’s Tea Hui Hoon ended in a draw.
In a groundbreaking moment for the sport, mixed martial arts was featured in the Asian Games for the first time, and Suchika showcased her talent by advancing to the 60kg women’s traditional semifinal. However, the judges ruled her match against Teo as a tie, which led to a decision based on their morning weigh-in weights. Unfortunately for Suchika, Teo was 700 grams lighter, which allowed her to move forward to the finals.
“I felt I was clearly ahead in the match, so it was surprising when they declared it a draw. Instead of giving us another round, they used those confusing weight rules, which felt like it took away my chance for that gold medal,” Suchika stated upon her return to New Delhi’s IGI Airport.
She further expressed her dissatisfaction with the tiebreaker rules. “In my opinion, it’s unfair. They should have let us fight one more round. Even if I had lost that round, I would have accepted it, but this outcome is hard for me to digest,” she said.
Despite the setback, Suchika remains proud of her performance and feels confident that she could have secured gold. “I was playing really well. I know how much effort I put in to reach this point. I felt like victory was within my grasp,” she noted, recalling her dominating presence in the ring.
After the initial decision seemed like a loss, the Indian MMA federation challenged it, leading to the review of the match footage which resulted in a draw. However, the subsequent tiebreak rule based on weight meant that the lighter Teo advanced to the final, and Suchika had to settle for bronze.
MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunde explained that the winner is determined through specific procedures set by the Asian MMA rules when a tie occurs. Initial checks include warnings and advice given to the athletes, and if needed, weights are compared.
Although Suchika was disappointed, she stopped short of calling the ruling unfair, instead questioning why the match ended as it did. “I’m not saying it was cheating. If you declare it a draw, it feels fair to give me the win as well. I just want to understand what fault led to her being awarded the win,” she remarked.
Even with the frustration of the match outcome, the 36-year-old takes pride in being the first Indian to win a medal in MMA at the Asian Games. “This bronze medal means the world to me. I’ve put in a lot of hard work to achieve this,” she shared.
With mixed martial arts not currently part of the Olympic Games, Suchika is already looking ahead to the World Championships and any upcoming fights. She remains optimistic about the future of MMA and hopes it will eventually be included in the Olympics.
Though Suchika narrowly missed out on a shot at the final in Aichi-Nagoya, her bronze medal represents a significant milestone for Indian mixed martial arts at the Asian Games.
