Aichi-Nagoya: India finished fourth in the Asian Games 2026 India medal table, a long way behind China. Look sport by sport, though, and the picture changes. In five disciplines, India stood at the top of the podium. Vegas11 News breaks down where it happened and why it mattered.
China ended the Games with 169 gold medals. India closed with 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, an 85-medal haul that sits well short of the record 107 from Hangzhou. Inside that total, hockey, cricket and kabaddi delivered golds in both the men’s and women’s events, archery produced the biggest haul of any Indian sport, and boxing came back from a goldless Hangzhou.
India Hockey Double at Asian Games 2026: A First for Both Teams
For the first time, India won the men’s and women’s hockey golds at the same Asian Games.
The men beat Malaysia 5-1 and retained their title, the first time India has defended Asian Games hockey gold. It was their fifth gold in the event, following 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023. Pakistan still lead the all-time list with eight.
The women’s final carried more emotion. India beat defending champions China 1-0 and ended a 44-year wait, having last won gold in 1982. Lalremsiami scored the winner, but the moment fans will replay is Savita Punia’s penalty-stroke save. Coach Sjoerd Marijne credited the team’s discipline, defensive resilience and collective effort. Both teams also booked direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
India Archery Gold Medals: Five Titles and a Teenage Star
Archery delivered India’s largest gold tally from a single sport: five gold, two silver and two bronze medals, matching the Hangzhou haul.
The women’s recurve team won Asian Games gold for the first time and ended South Korea’s streak of seven straight titles. A day later, 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod won individual women’s recurve gold, another first for India.
Her final was a nerve-tester. Mohod trailed South Korea’s Oh Yejin 3-5 heading into the last end, then shot X, X and 10 to level the match. She won the shoot-off 6-5 with a 10-8 and secured an Olympic quota place for Los Angeles.
India Boxing at Asian Games 2026: Three Golds After Hangzhou
Boxing arrived in Japan needing a reset after India won no gold in Hangzhou. It left with three golds, its best gold count at any Asian Games, plus three bronzes, for six medals from 11 entries.
- Lovlina Borgohain won the women’s 75kg title on her 29th birthday, becoming only the second Indian woman after Mary Kom to win Asian Games boxing gold.
- Parveen Hooda took the 65kg gold. She had lost her Hangzhou bronze after a 22-month suspension for whereabouts failures, so this was a comeback as much as a title.
- Ankush Panghal won the men’s 80kg gold, the first Indian man to reclaim a boxing title since Amit Panghal in 2018.
Kabaddi Gold Medals: India Beat Iran in Both Finals
Kabaddi remains the sport where India expects to win, and it did. The men beat Iran 40-34 for their ninth Asian Games gold, and the women edged Iran 37-34 for their fourth.
Iran’s win in both events in 2018 is the only reason India does not own every title since the women’s event began in 2010. Beating the same rival in both finals made the 2026 sweep feel like a reclaiming of the sport.
India Cricket Asian Games 2026: Men and Women Retain Titles
Cricket is a newer fixture at the Asian Games, but India has not lost a final since its Hangzhou return. Both teams defended their titles in Aichi-Nagoya.
The women beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. The men then beat Pakistan to finish a rain-affected tournament on top. India now holds all four cricket golds on offer since coming back to the Games, after skipping the 2010 and 2014 editions.
The Bigger Picture
India will not win the overall table while China fields such depth, but the sport-wise story shows where the country is strongest: hockey with a historic double, archery with a new generation, boxing in recovery, and kabaddi and cricket in familiar control. Follow Vegas11 News for more Asian Games 2026 updates and Indian sports coverage.
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