NAGOYA: India finished fourth in the medal standings at the 2026 Asian Games with 85 medals, 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, after more than two weeks of competition across 43 disciplines in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, All India Radio reported. The Games closed on October 4 at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, where the ceremonial torch and flag were handed to representatives of Qatar, host of the next edition in Doha in 2030.
Shooter Neeru Dhanda, who won two gold medals and a silver, carried the Indian flag at the closing ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the contingent "for representing the nation with determination, passion and remarkable sporting spirit", and said he hoped the Games would "inspire even greater achievements in the years ahead and strengthen sports at the grassroots too."
The defining feature of India's campaign was a clean sweep of the men's and women's gold medals in cricket, kabaddi and hockey.
In cricket, India retained both titles. The women beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in their final. In the men's final at Nisshin on October 3, India made 211 for six after choosing to bat, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 61 off 28 balls, Tilak Varma an unbeaten 51 off 22 and Shivam Dube 27 off 14. Pakistan replied with 196 for six, Hasan Nawaz top-scoring with 96, and India won by 19 runs.
In kabaddi, the women beat Iran 37-34 to defend their title, and the men came from behind to beat Iran 40-34. In hockey, the women beat China 1-0 for their first Asian Games gold since 1982, and the men beat Malaysia 5-1 to retain their title; both results also earned places at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Boxing produced India's best Asian Games campaign in terms of gold medals: three gold and three bronze. Lovlina Borgohain won the women's 75 kg gold on her birthday, upgrading the silver she won at her first Asian Games. Parveen Hooda won the women's 65 kg title and Ankush Panghal the men's 80 kg title. "Now he is focusing on the Olympics," Panghal said on arriving in New Delhi, according to All India Radio.
Wrestlers won six medals, two gold, two silver and two bronze, the country's best Asian Games wrestling tally since Jakarta in 1962. Aman Sehrawat won the men's freestyle 57 kg gold, beating North Korea's world champion Chong Song Han 11-7 in the final. Antim Panghal took silver in the women's 53 kg event and Deepak Punia bronze in the men's 97 kg event.
Archery was one of India's most successful sports, with nine medals: five gold, two silver and two bronze. Kumkum Mohod won the women's individual recurve gold, and Neeraj Chauhan won bronze in the men's individual recurve.
Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman golfer to win an Asian Games gold. The 23-year-old from Mysore recovered from a triple bogey on the third hole of the final round, which wiped out her three-stroke overnight lead, made three birdies and finished at 15 under par, a total of 265, one stroke ahead. With Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, she also won team silver. It was India's first golf gold since Shiv Kapur won the men's individual title in 2002.
On October 3 alone, India won five gold, two silver and two bronze medals, which lifted the country from fifth place, with 76 medals including 16 gold the evening before, to fourth.
Several of the cricketers went straight into a home series. Ten members of India's Asian Games men's team were picked for the five-match T20 International series against the West Indies, which begins in Lucknow on October 6, with the remaining matches in Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru on October 9, 11, 14 and 17.
