In 30 Seconds
India signed off from the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya with its second best medal haul ever. The final tally stood at 85 medals, made up of 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, enough for fourth place behind China, Japan and South Korea. According to Olympics.com, India and fifth placed Uzbekistan both won 21 golds, and India edged ahead because of a stronger silver count.
The final day
The closing day produced nine medals, five of them gold. In cricket, the men’s team beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the final to retain the title, completing a cricket double after the women’s side had beaten Sri Lanka by 147 runs to defend their crown. In hockey, the men beat Malaysia 5 to 1 to win back to back Asian Games titles for the first time and secure a quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The live blog also records golds in golf, wrestling and archery, and the women’s 4x400m relay won athletics gold on the last day.
Team sport triumphs
India completed a rare clean sweep in team sports. Cricket, hockey and kabaddi all produced double titles for men and women. Hockey became only the third Indian team sport to achieve a double gold finish at the Asian Games, after kabaddi and cricket, according to Outlook India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the women’s hockey team on its gold after more than four decades.
Individual breakthroughs
- Boxing. Three titles, India’s best gold haul in the sport at a single Games. Lovlina Borgohain became only the second Indian woman after Mary Kom to win Asian Games boxing gold.
- Wrestling. Six medals, including golds for Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal. The wrestling return is the best since 1962. Sehrawat’s win in the 57 kg freestyle was India’s first ever gold in that event.
- Shooting. Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet set an Asian record score of 484.6 in the 10m air pistol mixed team final, India’s first Asian Games title in the event.
- Archery and golf. Five golds in archery and a surprise title in golf lifted the overall count.
Where India fell short
Athletics delivered the most medals of any sport, 24, but only one was gold, which is the women’s 4x400m relay. Shooting and badminton also underperformed in converting medals to gold, per Outlook India’s wrap. The pattern is familiar: India is strong at reaching podiums but still lacks the final margin needed to win more of the top prizes in the track and field events.
The road to Los Angeles
The Games doubled as a qualifying ground. The team sports success secured direct quotas for LA 2028, which saves players from a difficult qualifying route and allows coaches to plan for the long term. Federations will now need to turn podium finishes into medal contenders at the Olympics, where the standard is higher.
What it means for Indian sport
Success in Japan reflects improved funding, a wider talent pipeline and the willingness of athletes to compete in a greater number of events. The challenge is to maintain it. States and schools must keep investing in grassroots coaching, and administrators must resist the temptation to relax after a good Games.
For a country that has had a heavy news week, from protests to oil prices, the Aichi Nagoya medal run brought something rare: uncomplicated national joy. Hockey fans in particular will remember the sight of the men’s and women’s teams both on the top step.
