On Sunday, October 4, when the Indian contingent came out for one last time at the Asian Games, they had a beaming smile on their faces. A late surge in the medal rush had hurled them from eighth to a respectable fourth spot in the medal table, matching their position from the previous edition at Hangzhou, which was seen as a watershed moment in Indian sport.
India finished with a total of 85 medals, 21 fewer than their tally from the previous edition, but they were in a much better position at the end of it, with archery, wrestling and boxing contingents punching above their weight and finishing with the top prize, rescuing the Indian campaign, which had been middling even at the halfway point of the competition.
Sunday marked the end of a whirlwind campaign, which started with major logistical fiascos, a typhoon warning and a nightmare travel schedule. But the campaign ended on a much sweeter note, with India not only performing to the mark in their traditional powerhouse sports, but also punching above their weight in events like archery, wrestling and squash.
In this story, the entire Sports Desk of IndiaToday.in comes together to rate some of the top performances at the Asian Games 2026, and provide you a brief look back on how things unfolded over the past 14 days.
Let’s dive in.
THE BEST
WRESTLING | 9/10
Written by Amar Panicker
India’s wrestling campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games deserves to be remembered as one of its finest in the competition’s history. The six-medal haul, comprising two gold, two silver and two bronze medals, matched India’s total from Hangzhou three years ago, but the quality of the return was significantly better.
The last time India won six or more wrestling medals at an Asian Games was in 1962, when the country collected 12 medals in Jakarta. That remains the benchmark, but Aichi-Nagoya marked India’s best wrestling performance in 64 years. More importantly, the campaign represented a decisive improvement on Hangzhou, where India won one silver and five bronze medals.
The two gold medals were particularly significant. Aman Sehrawat delivered in the 57kg category, while Sujeet Kalkal produced one of the tournament’s most memorable comebacks to win the 65kg title. Kalkal’s victory over reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in the semifinal, followed by his stunning recovery from 2-9 down in the final, underlined the competitive level of India’s challenge.
Antim Panghal added a silver after winning bronze in Hangzhou, while Nitesh Siwach’s silver in Greco-Roman wrestling carried its own historical significance. Deepak Punia and Sunil Kumar completed the medal tally with bronzes.
The numbers alone make Aichi-Nagoya India’s best campaign since 1962. But the spread of medals and the return of multiple golds make it more than that. After a relatively modest showing in Hangzhou, Indian wrestling has emerged from Nagoya with renewed depth, confidence and momentum. It may not have surpassed the 1962 peak, but it has firmly established itself as India’s strongest wrestling campaign of the modern era.
ARCHERY | 9/10
Written by Alan John
When India broke Korea’s monopoly last time in archery, many were eager to see if they could actually do it once more. Korea came into the Games with some big names in their ranks, including world champion Kang Chaeyong.
The 12-member archery team went out and matched it, winning five golds, two silvers and two bronze medals, once again pipping Korea to the top spot.
The compound teams retained their crowns, but there was some disappointment when it came to the individual front. What was a clean sweep in Hangzhou ended up being just a bronze as Ganesh Maniratnam brought the medal home.
It was the recurve team that did the heavy lifting, securing historic golds in the women’s team and women’s individual events to add to the shine of their performance.
Apart from this, India has now found fresh blood in both departments. Kumkum Mohod has been a revelation, showing that at 17, all you need is calmness and self-belief to climb to the top.
Chikhita and Prithika are hopefuls on the compound side of things. Jyothi Surekha and Dhiraj Bommadevara showed that they’re the leaders of this new era as Indian archers take aim for the LA Olympics.
WOMEN’S CRICKET | 9/10
Written by Sabyasachi Choudhary
India’s dominance in the women’s cricket tournament was evident from the very beginning. They made light work of Japan in the quarter-final, comfortably chased down the target, and never allowed the hosts to put them under pressure. Against Bangladesh in the semi-final, India were just as ruthless, controlling the game with bat and ball and cruising into the final.
The final against Sri Lanka followed the same pattern. India dictated the contest almost from the outset and never looked in danger of losing their grip. They retained their Asian Games gold in emphatic fashion, underlining the enormous gulf between India and the rest of the continent.
That makes the next challenge even clearer: India have conquered Asia, and now they need to make the world’s best teams sweat. Against Australia, England and South Africa, the margins will be far smaller. India will need sharper fielding, a more dependable middle order and greater consistency under pressure.
Asian dominance is no longer enough for a team with this much talent. The Asian Games gold was expected; the real test is whether India can turn this superiority into regular victories against the world’s strongest sides.
BOXING | 8.5/10
Written by Saurabh Kumar
Indian boxing left the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with plenty to take home. Three gold medals and three bronze medals made it the country’s best campaign at the Games in terms of titles won.
Before these Games, India had won nine boxing gold medals across 16 Asian Games editions, dating back to 1958. Three more arrived in Aichi, with Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal winning their respective finals.
Lovlina, who had settled for silver in Hangzhou, went one better in the women’s 75kg category. She beat China’s Bao Ziyi 5-0 to add an Asian Games gold to her Olympic bronze and world championship title.
Parveen’s gold was another important result. She returned to competition after a 22-month suspension and beat China’s Chen Nien-chin 3-2 in the women’s 65kg final.
Then there was Ankush, who had the added responsibility of leading the men’s challenge after India managed just one bronze in Hangzhou. He beat reigning world champion Fazliddin Erkinboev in the semifinal before defeating South Korea’s Kim Minseong 4-0 in the final.
Priya Ghanghas, Kapil Pokhariya and Narender Berwal added three bronze medals to take India’s tally to six.
Guangzhou 2010 had been India’s previous best Asian Games boxing campaign for gold medals, with two titles. Aichi-Nagoya has now moved that mark to three.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY | 8.5/10
Written by Alan John
If the World Cup was a sign that the Indian women’s hockey team was back, then the Asian Games proved that they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
The Indian eves went unbeaten, scored 68 goals and conceded just three throughout the competition. India just didn’t sit back and soak in pressure; they dominated contests with field goals and penalty corners with relative ease.
But it was the final against China that showed that the team is here to stay. After scoring a goal early, the Indian eves defended bravely and thwarted everything that the Olympic silver medallists threw at them.
Savita Punia showed why she is the wall of Indian women’s hockey, making a stunning penalty stroke save that kept her side in the contest.
The final hooter sealed their LA Olympics qualification, a testament to the hard work done over the past few months.
Sjoerd Marijne came in and brought along with him some much-needed upgrades in terms of fitness, intensity and overall hockey intelligence.
The road to the Olympics will be long for others, but for India, it will be two years of continuous improvement and refinement to show this change isn’t a flash in the pan.
THE GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT
ATHLETICS | 6/10
Written by Kingshuk Kusari
India’s athletics campaign ended on a mixed note, finishing sixth overall with 24 medals (1 Gold, 9 Silver, 14 Bronze), a drop from the 29-medal tally in Hangzhou. Despite strict Sports Ministry criteria aimed at sending only “genuine medal contenders”, injury setbacks, administrative miscalculations and agonisingly tight finishes defined the squad’s performance.
The campaign’s standout performer was Gulveer Singh, who created history as the first Indian male athlete to claim three individual track medals at a single Asian Games, securing silvers in the 10,000m and 1,500m alongside a 5,000m bronze.
Equally phenomenal was Vithya Ramraj. Overcoming a severe hurdle crash weeks prior, she shattered P.T. Usha’s long-standing national record for 400m hurdles bronze and anchored the women’s 4x400m relay team, alongside Kiran Pahal, M. Poovamma and Prachi, to secure India’s sole gold medal in track and field.
Yashvir Singh in the javelin and Sawan Barwal in the marathon also delivered clutch silver-medal performances with personal bests.
However, the campaign was shadowed by glaring missteps and injury fiascos. Key gold prospect Neeraj Chopra was ruled out entirely, while steeplechaser Avinash Sable struggled post-ACL recovery. Critical criticism arose over administrative clearance when athletes like Jyothi Yarraji (DNS) and Praveen Chitravel pulled out without starting.
Individual heartbreaks added to the disappointment: high-jumper Sarvesh Kushare lost gold on countback, long-jumper Murali Sreeshankar injured his ankle to settle for silver, and Ancy Sojan lost gold by a tiny 0.02m margin on her rival’s final attempt.
Meanwhile, individual sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur fell far short of their personal bests, though they salvaged some pride with a mixed relay bronze.
SHOOTING | 6/10
Written by Akshay Ramesh
India’s shooting campaign at the Asian Games ended with 15 medals, but it was a mixed bag. The country had won a record 22 medals, including seven golds, in Hangzhou; this time, the haul fell to three golds, eight silvers and four bronzes. Trap shooter Neeru Dhanda was the biggest positive to emerge from the Aichi Perfecture General Shooting Gallery.
Pistol was the biggest disappointment. Manu Bhaker, one of India’s biggest medal hopes, finished fifth in the 10m air pistol, while India failed to defend the individual and team golds won in Hangzhou. Esha Singh did provide a silver in the 25m pistol, while Kamaljeet Singh Sahlot and Suruchi Singh combined for gold in the mixed 10m air pistol. But for a discipline that had been one of India’s strongest medal sources, the return was underwhelming.
Rifle was steadier, if not spectacular. Elavenil Valarivan and Himanshu Dhillon won individual and team silvers in 10m air rifle, while India added silvers in both 50m rifle 3P team events. Rudrankksh Patil also won an individual bronze. The medals were plentiful, but gold remained elusive.
Shotgun, meanwhile, produced the campaign’s biggest high. Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games trap gold, setting a Games record in the process, before combining with Kynan Chenai for another gold in mixed-team trap and a historic women’s team trap gold medal. India also won a trap team silver and three skeet bronzes.
MEN’S HOCKEY | 7/10
Written by Alan John
The men’s hockey team won gold and qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics. That alone should make this a successful campaign.
But it is difficult to ignore how close India came to throwing it away.
The team looked smooth for much of the tournament before the semi-final against Pakistan unravelled after the 30th minute. What followed was a chaotic contest that India only survived in the final minute, with Abhishek finding the goal that took them through.
The final was better, and India eventually secured gold. But the semi-final exposed a familiar problem: what happens when the opposition applies sustained pressure and the game stops going according to plan?
Coach Craig Fulton admitted that the team crumbled under pressure. That should worry India because there was a sense of deja vu from the World Cup.
This was a team that had dominated the Asian Games in Hangzhou. It was expected to do more than simply scrape through the most difficult match of its campaign.
WEIGHTLIFTING | 6.5/10
Written by Saurabh Kumar
Mirabai Chanu finally won an Asian Games medal, ending a wait that had stretched back to her debut at the continental event in 2014. The former world champion took silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Games after lifting a total of 198kg, with 88kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk.
The medal was significant for India too. Mirabai’s silver ended the country’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. Karnam Malleswari had won India’s previous medal in the sport, also a silver, in 1998.
But Mirabai’s medal was the only one India won in weightlifting at these Games.
Gyaneshwari Yadav finished eighth in the women’s 53kg category, while Nirupama Devi missed out on a medal. Harjinder Kaur finished ninth in the women’s 69kg event with a combined lift of 204kg.
India had four women weightlifters in Aichi-Nagoya, but only Mirabai made it to the podium. Her silver ended a long wait for another Asian Games medal in the sport, while the results of the other three lifters meant India had little else to show for its campaign.
For Mirabai, it was a medal that had been missing from her Asian Games record for 12 years. For Indian weightlifting, it was a return to the podium after 28 years.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS | 5.5/10
Written by Amar Panicker
India’s MMA campaign at Aichi-Nagoya produced a historic bronze, but the medal was almost an afterthought to two episodes that exposed very different problems.
The first was entirely avoidable. Varun Sanyal’s withdrawal highlighted a worrying lack of preparation and awareness within the Indian camp. Called up just two weeks before the Games, Sanyal faced accreditation and accommodation issues and was left without adequate support while attempting to make the 77kg limit. He became unwell during a sauna session and was eventually ruled medically unfit. For a sport where weight management is fundamental, leaving an athlete to navigate such a demanding cut without proper support was a serious failure.
Then came a failure of a very different kind. Suchika Tariyal’s semifinal against Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo ended in a draw, only for the winner to be determined by body weight. Teo, around 700 grams lighter, advanced on the tiebreaker. A medal opportunity was effectively decided by a difference smaller than a bottle of water.
There is a distinction worth making. Sanyal’s case raises questions about India’s own preparedness and athlete management. Tariyal’s case raises questions about the competition itself. A weight category is designed to ensure athletes compete within broadly comparable physical parameters. Using weight again to decide a drawn contest creates the bizarre possibility of penalising the heavier athlete despite both having already made the prescribed limit.
Tariyal still secured bronze, giving India its first Asian Games MMA medal. But Aichi-Nagoya exposed two sides of the same problem: India was not sufficiently prepared for the sport, while the sport itself offered a rule that was difficult to defend on sporting grounds. The medal was historic. The lessons were uncomfortable.
THE DISAPPOINTMENTS
BADMINTON | 4.5/10
Written by Kingshuk Kusari
India’s badminton campaign ended without an individual medal for the first time in 12 years, heavily marred by severe scheduling fiascos that forced players into brutal back-to-back fixtures. Athletes were routinely made to play twice in a single day, leading to widespread player frustration.
The situation hit an extreme for PV Sindhu, who was forced to step onto the court against Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei after playing three games in the preceding 24 hours, with less than 12 hours of rest after a late-night finish.
Despite these punishing conditions, India’s individual quarterfinal ties ended in heroic yet tragic fashion. Sindhu valiantly snatched the second game off Chen before her depleted energy reserves gave out in the third.
In another agonising battle, 19-year-old Unnati Hooda pushed World No. 3 Akane Yamaguchi into a three-game slugfest. Struggling with extreme fatigue on less than 24 hours of rest, Unnati matched the Japanese star stroke-for-stroke before unforced errors sealed a heartbreaking 17-21 final-game loss.
In mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto nearly shocked World No. 1 pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dongping, taking a game off the Chinese juggernauts before falling 18-21 in a tense 76-minute decider. Women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand were also eliminated by Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.
But that does not take away from the fact that superstars Lakshya Sen and the doubles duo of Satwik-Chirag crashed and burned in their individual campaigns. The only saving grace for the badminton contingent was the fact that they stood up in the team competition and delivered a medal, ensuring this Asian Games campaign was not a complete failure.
TENNIS | 2/10
Written by Sabyasachi Chowdhury
India’s tennis campaign at the Asian Games has ended in a manner that should concern the sport deeply. For the first time since 1986, India will leave the Asian Games without a tennis medal. Since 1990, the country had managed at least one podium finish at every edition. That four-decade run has now come to an end.
The reduced squad will inevitably be part of the conversation. India travelled with only seven players, despite a larger squad initially being proposed, and there was no Indian entry in women’s singles. Players such as Vaishnavi Adkar, who had worked her way up the rankings after a serious injury, were left out. For a young player, being denied an opportunity at such a major event could understandably be demoralising.
But the disappointing campaign cannot be explained by selection alone. The players who were selected also failed collectively to convert their opportunities into medals. Sumit Nagal was the only Indian singles player to reach the quarter-finals, while Dhakshineswar Suresh stopped in the third round.
In men’s doubles, both Yuki Bhambri-Dhakshineswar Suresh and top seeds N Sriram Balaji-Anirudh Chandrasekar were eliminated in the quarter-finals. The latter’s defeat was particularly painful, coming in a deciding match tie-break.
The women’s and mixed doubles campaigns were even shorter. Ankita Raina-Rutuja Bhosale lost in the opening round, while both mixed doubles combinations were eliminated before the medal rounds.
So this was not one player’s failure. From selection to execution, India’s tennis campaign fell short across the board. After decades of consistent medals, Nagoya should force Indian tennis to confront its lack of depth, preparation and conversion when the biggest opportunities arrive.
THE FINAL REPORT CARD
India’s 85-medal haul is not a failure. Finishing fourth in Asia, with 21 gold medals and podium finishes spread across a wide range of sports, is a substantial return. But the medal tally also hides the uneven nature of the campaign.
Wrestling matched its Hangzhou medal count but improved on the quality of those medals. Archery again pushed past Korea and established itself as one of India’s strongest bets for Los Angeles. Women’s cricket and women’s hockey did what they were expected to do, with neither campaign leaving much doubt about the outcome. Boxing, meanwhile, produced three gold medals, more than India had ever won at a single Asian Games.
The more revealing stories were elsewhere.
Athletics brought home 24 medals but also a long list of what-ifs, from injuries and withdrawals to medals lost by the smallest of margins. Men’s hockey won the gold medal, but the semi-final against Pakistan showed that the team still has a problem when control of a match begins to slip away. Weightlifting had Mirabai Chanu ending a 28-year wait for an Indian medal, but little else to show from the four-woman challenge.
And then there was tennis, where the medal drought was not the result of one bad day or one unlucky draw. India arrived with questions over selection and depth and left without a medal for the first time in 40 years.
Badminton sits somewhere in between. The scheduling was bad enough to deserve scrutiny, and it undoubtedly hurt India’s chances. But the fact that the individual campaign ended without a medal for the first time in 12 years still has to sting. There were difficult circumstances, but there were also matches India could have won.
That is probably the fairest way to look at Aichi-Nagoya.
The 85 medals are a good number. The distribution of those medals, and the stories behind them, are perhaps more interesting.
India leaves Nagoya with a few sports looking ready for the next step, a few needing a rethink, and a couple that should be asking some uncomfortable questions before Los Angeles.
– Ends
