India signed off from the Asian Games 2026 in fourth place with 85 medals — 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. The final tally was below the record 106 medals won at Hangzhou, but a strong finish in the final days changed the complexion of the campaign.From Kumkum Mohod’s historic archery gold and Aman Sehrawat’s wrestling triumph to disappointing campaigns in tennis and some traditionally strong disciplines, India’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games journey had its share of soaring highs and hard misses.Here are India’s biggest hits and flops from Aichi-Nagoya.
The Hits
1. Archery: The biggest gold-medal success
Archery was arguably India’s biggest success story when it came to gold medals.India won five gold medals, with the women’s and men’s compound teams, mixed compound team, women’s recurve team and Kumkum Mohod’s individual recurve triumph providing the highlights.The biggest moment came from 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod, who became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games.
Kumkum Mohod wins Gold
Her success, along with the women’s recurve team’s gold, gave Indian archery a memorable Games. Kumkum also added a silver in the mixed recurve team event with Dhiraj Bommadevara.
2. Hockey: Two golds and Olympic qualification
Indian hockey delivered when it mattered most.The women’s team ended a 44-year wait for an Asian Games gold, while Harmanpreet Singh’s men’s team defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final to retain the title.
Image credit: Hockey India
The two victories also had an Olympic dimension, with India’s performances securing qualification opportunities for Los Angeles 2028.The men’s final was the perfect way to close India’s medal campaign, with the 5-1 victory delivering the country’s 21st gold.
3. Cricket: Both teams defend their titles
India’s cricket teams delivered two more gold medals.The women’s team retained its title, while the men’s side defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the final to successfully defend India’s Asian Games crown. Abhishek Sharma’s explosive batting and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 were among the highlights of the men’s final.
The men’s final also became one of the most talked-about sporting moments of the Games, thanks to the India-Pakistan rivalry.
4. Boxing: Three golds
India’s boxers produced one of the strongest late surges of the Games, winning three gold medals.Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal emerged as champions in their respective categories.For Lovlina, the victory was particularly significant: she became only the second Indian woman after Mary Kom to win an Asian Games boxing gold.
5. Wrestling: Aman Sehrawat’s comeback
Aman Sehrawat’s gold was one of the more compelling individual stories of the Games.The wrestler had endured a difficult period involving illness, absences and a loss of motivation following the Paris Olympics. His return to the top at Aichi-Nagoya turned the campaign into a personal comeback story as well as a medal-winning one.India finished with two wrestling golds, along with silver and bronze medals.
6. Pranavi Urs makes golf history
Pranavi Urs created history by winning India’s first women’s individual golf gold at the Asian Games.
Gold medallist India’s Pranavi Urs (REUTERS)
India also took silver in the women’s team event, making golf one of the country’s notable success stories in Aichi-Nagoya.
7. Kabaddi: India keep its Asian Games dominance
Kabaddi remained one of India’s most dependable gold-medal sports at Aichi-Nagoya.Both the men’s and women’s teams won gold, allowing India to retain its titles and reinforce its dominance in the sport at the Asian Games.The double triumph was another strong performance from a discipline where India continues to set the continental benchmark.
8. Athletics: India’s biggest medal contributor
Athletics was India’s biggest contributor by overall medal count, producing 24 medals.The medal haul included silver medals for Ancy Sojan, Sarvesh Kushare, Sawan Berwal, Gulveer Singh and others, along with multiple bronze medals across track and field.The sport also produced historic moments, including Baranica Elangovan’s first-ever Asian Games pole-vault medal for India and Vithya Ramraj’s national-record bronze in the 400m hurdles.The caveat is the gold count. Athletics produced a huge volume of medals but only one gold, meaning the sport’s conversion into top-of-the-podium finishes remains an area India will want to improve.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal Tally
The Flops
1. Tennis: A historic medal drought
Tennis was arguably India’s biggest disappointment.For the first time in four decades, India failed to win a single Asian Games tennis medal. The campaign ended without a podium finish despite the country’s historically strong record in the sport at the continental event.The result was particularly striking because tennis has traditionally been one of India’s reliable Asian Games medal sports.
Nagoya, Oct 1 (IANS) Sumit Nagal lost his men’s singles quarterfinal to China’s Wu Yibing in straight sets 4-6, 4-6 on Thursday at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center here.
2. Shooting: Too many near misses before the turnaround
Shooting eventually contributed 15 medals, including three golds, making it one of India’s biggest medal-producing sports.But the campaign began with considerable disappointment.India endured several fourth-place finishes and missed opportunities before Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet finally ended the wait for a shooting gold.Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod, for example, finished fourth and fifth respectively in the women’s 50m rifle 3P individual final.The final medal count was impressive, but expectations around India’s shooters were even higher.
3. Badminton: Below expectations
Badminton managed only one medal — a bronze in the men’s team event.The result was underwhelming for a sport that has produced some of India’s biggest Asian Games and Olympic stars.
Asian Games badminton: PV Sindhu (Image: Reuters)
The campaign was also overshadowed by criticism of the Games’ scheduling and organisation. H.S. Prannoy, who won the men’s team bronze, described the experience as “sad” for athletes and criticised the accommodation and scheduling arrangements.
4. Equestrian: A quiet disappointment
Equestrian was another discipline that failed to make a mark for India at Aichi-Nagoya.Despite India’s pedigree in the sport and its strong performances at previous Asian Games, the contingent returned without a medal.The result added to a list of disciplines where India was unable to convert participation and experience into podium finishes, making equestrian a relatively disappointing campaign.
5. Table tennis, fencing, esports, rowing all disappoint
Several disciplines failed to make a significant impact for India at the Asian Games 2026. Esports was among the clearest disappointments, with India failing to win a medal across its events, while fencing and volleyball also ended without a podium finish despite sizeable contingents and expectations.Table tennis managed only one bronze, a modest return for a sport with India’s growing international stature, making it another underwhelming campaign.Rowing produced a solitary bronze, leaving the discipline with a relatively limited medal haul. Taken together, these results highlight the gaps India still needs to address beyond its stronger medal-producing sports.
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