Asian Games 2026: India’s next-gen stars announce arrival

For a start, let us examine the overall medal tally. India finished fourth with 85 medals, which comprised 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. It was a creditable show.

Now that the dust has settled on the 2026 edition of the Asian Games in Japan, it is time to take stock of India’s performance at the multi-discipline mega event. What did we do right, and what did we do wrong? For a start, let us examine the overall medal tally. India finished fourth with 85 medals, which comprised 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. It was a creditable show.

However, it was behind the 106 medals won at Hangzhou in 2023. What made the Japanese campaign particularly interesting, however, was the emergence of a new generation of Indian stars. They are the Gen Z of Indian sports.

Among the many memorable performances, a few stood out above the rest. Perhaps the first name on the list of wonderfully talented newcomers is that of Kumkum Mohod, the teenage archer who conquered the South Korean juggernaut. South Korea has traditionally been a superpower in archery, and almost nobody can beat them, even at the Olympics level.

But the 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod stunned everyone and returned with two gold medals and a silver. She was also part of the Indian women’s recurve team that ended South Korea’s extraordinary 28-year reign in the event.

Then there was Neeru Dhanda, who scripted a golden transformation in the shooting range. The Haryana trap shooter won two gold medals and a silver, including India’s first-ever individual women’s trap gold at the Asian Games. Despite difficult weather conditions, Dhanda hit 28 of 30 targets, beating China’s Sun Yunong and setting a new Asian Games record in the process. Her gold ended a 36-year wait for an Indian medal in women’s trap at the Asian Games.

Memorable double for Indian hockey

The Indian hockey teams scored a historic double. Indian hockey produced perhaps the most enthralling team achievement of the Games. The men retained their Asian Games title, beating Malaysia 5-1 in the final. Captain Harmanpreet Singh became the first Indian captain to lead the men’s team to two Asian Games gold medals. The victory also secured India’s qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

But the women’s hockey victory was arguably even more significant. India won the women’s hockey gold meaning that both Indian hockey teams were Asian Games champions in the same edition for the first time. For a sport that has given India some of its greatest Olympic memories, the double gold was a powerful reminder that hockey remains one of the country’s strongest disciplines.

India was the top nation in boxing

For boxer Lovlina Borgohain it was a remarkable comeback. The women’s 75kg gold represented much more than another medal. Lovlina became only the second Indian woman to win an Asian Games boxing gold, after Mary Kom. Her success was part of an excellent boxing campaign in which India won three gold medals. The other two gold medal winners were Parveen Hooda (women’s 65 kg) and Ankush Panghal (men’s 80 kg). In addition, Priya Ghangas, Kapil Pokhariya and Narender Berwal bagged bronze medals as India emerged as the top nation in boxing.

Then Pranavi Urs broke new ground in golf. Indian golf also created history through Pranavi Urs who became the first Indian woman to win individual gold in golf at the Asian Games. She had already helped India to silver in the women’s team event alongside Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, making her Japanese campaign especially rewarding. Her gold was significant because golf is still searching for a wider base of talented women players, and her feat will inspire others.

Mirabai Chanu reinforces her legendary status

In weightlifting, Mirabai Chanu proved that experience still counts. The Olympic and world championship medal winner finally won her first Asian Games medal — a silver in the women’s 49 kg category. It was also India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal in 28 years. She established herself as one of India’s most decorated weightlifters.

In squash, Anahat Singh was the teenager who went knocking on the door of greatness. At only 18, Anahat Singh reached the women’s singles final, becoming the first Indian woman to do so at the Asian Games. She won silver in singles and also contributed to a bronze in the team event. Her individual medal was India’s first in women’s singles squash at the Asian Games.

Indian wrestling also had a much-improved campaign. The team returned with six medals, namely two golds, two silvers and two bronzes, a balanced haul that represented a considerable improvement over the results obtained in the previous edition.

Athletics, badminton, and tennis were disappointments

Athletics produced India’s largest number of medals – 24. But disappointingly, only one was gold. That represented a considerable drop after the earlier games in Hangzhou, where Indian athletes won six golds. Nevertheless, Gulveer Singh and Sawan Barwal produced memorable distance-running efforts, while Vithya Ramraj and India’s women’s 400m relay squad provided excitement on the track. Vithya also broke a long-standing record of P.T.Usha and so we can expect some great victories from her in the future.

In badminton, India fell woefully short of expectations. Has India lost its grip on the sport? The men’s doubles pair of Satwicksairaj and Chirag Shetty suffered a shock defeat, while Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were unable to capitalise on favourable draws. P.V. Sindhu was affected by some questionable scheduling, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand lost steam after a series of marathon matches.

Tennis was where we performed the worst. The All India Tennis Association needs to put its internal differences aside and focus on developing the sport, which has traditionally delivered medals at the Asian Games.

So, let us celebrate the victories but, at the same time, acknowledge the defeats and take corrective measures. With enough money now flowing into Indian sport, there is no reason why we cannot do better. Los Angeles 2028 is only two years away. This is the right time to fix the faults and carry out improvements wherever necessary.