Sports
oi-Ashish Rana
India finished fourth in the overall medal standings at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, closing its campaign with 85 medals. The Indian contingent won 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals.
India finished fourth at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, securing 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze), highlighted by final-day golds in men’s cricket and hockey.
The fourth-place finish came after a strong final day, when India added several medals, including golds in men’s cricket and men’s hockey. The 85-medal haul is 21 medals fewer than India’s tally at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where the country had recorded its then-best performance.
India Ends Asian Games Campaign With 85 Medals
India’s final medal tally at Aichi-Nagoya stood at 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals. The country finished fourth, with Uzbekistan also winning 21 gold medals but India taking the higher position because of its larger number of silver medals.
The final day provided a major boost to India’s campaign. The men’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by 19 runs to retain its Asian Games title, while the men’s hockey team beat Malaysia 5-1 to successfully defend its gold medal.
Cricket And Hockey Teams Deliver Gold
The men’s cricket team’s victory over Pakistan was followed by another gold in hockey, giving India a strong finish to its campaign.
The men’s hockey team’s victory was particularly significant as it secured India’s fifth Asian Games gold in the sport and marked the first time the team had won consecutive Asian Games titles. India’s women’s hockey team had also won gold earlier in the Games.
Several individual athletes also produced historic performances. Archer Kumkum Anil Mohod became the first Indian woman to win individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, while golfer Pranavi Sharath Urs secured India’s first women’s individual golf gold at the continental event.
PM Modi Congratulates India’s Medal Winners
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian men’s cricket team after its gold-medal victory over Pakistan.
“The Gold comes to India yet again! Congratulations to our Men’s Cricket Team on retaining their title at the Asian Games. This is indeed a joyous occasion for the nation. My best wishes to the team members for their future endeavours,” Modi wrote on X.
Modi also praised the men’s hockey team for its successful title defence and highlighted the achievement of both Indian hockey teams winning gold at the same Asian Games.
“Back-to-back Asian Games Golds for the first time and a fifth Gold overall…it’s been an exceptional campaign by our players,” Modi said.
“This triumph becomes even more special as, for the first time, both our Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams have won Gold at the same Asian Games. It is clear that Indian Hockey stands tall on the Asian stage,” he added.
Modi Praises Kumkum, Pranavi And Aman
The Prime Minister also congratulated Kumkum Mohod for her historic recurve individual gold and praised her composure during the decisive shoot-off.
He congratulated Pranavi Urs for winning India’s first-ever women’s individual golf gold at the Asian Games, calling it “One for the history books!”
Wrestler Aman Sehrawat also received praise after winning gold in the men’s 57kg freestyle category. Modi highlighted his progress from a bronze at the previous Asian Games to gold in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Prime Minister also congratulated Deepak Punia for his bronze in the men’s 97kg freestyle wrestling event, describing the medal as another chapter in India’s wrestling journey.
