Cricket, hockey, and wrestling stars secure gold as India concludes campaign with 85 medals
AI-generated summary
The 2026 Asian Games are held in Nagoya, Japan. India previously won 106 medals at the 2022 Hangzhou edition.
India finished fourth at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Saturday after a late surge of gold medals helped the country move into the top five.
The star-studded cricket and hockey teams defended their titles as 17-year-old archer Kumkum Mohod and golfer Pranavi Urs emerged as the standout stories of India's campaign. India could not match the 106 medals they won at the previous edition, but finished with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. A better performance was expected particularly from the shooting and badminton teams. Eleven of India's 21 gold medals came in the final two days of the Games. India's final position could still change slightly as a couple of equestrian competitions are scheduled for Sunday, with nearest rivals Uzbekistan also in contention.
Saturday brought another day of celebrations for India as the cricket and hockey teams delivered gold medals. The Shreyas Iyer-led cricket team beat arch-rival Pakistan by 19 runs in Nisshin. In Kakamigahara, the Harmanpreet Singh-led hockey team defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final to defend its Asian Games title. The gold also secured India direct qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Wrestler Aman Sehrawat was another Indian gold medallist on Saturday. The Olympic bronze-medallist won the 57kg category to add another Asian Games title to his achievements. He had won bronze in the same category at the Hangzhou 2022 edition. However, Kumkum and Pranavi were the standout stories of the day.
Kumkum became the first Indian woman archer to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, while Pranavi became the first Indian woman golfer to win an individual gold. Both handled the pressure to claim historic titles.
China, Japan and South Korea are first, second and third respectively on the medal tally. China continued to lead by a big margin, winning 169 gold, 89 silver and 83 bronze medals for a total of 341. They were comfortably ahead in both the gold-medal count and overall tally. Hosts Japan finished second with 269 medals, including 83 gold, 95 silver and 91 bronze. South Korea were third with 150 medals, comprising 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze. India moved into fourth place after winning five gold medals on Saturday. Their tally stood at 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals for a total of 85. Uzbekistan were fifth with 70 medals, including 21 gold, 25 silver and 24 bronze.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Final medal standing may shift due to remaining equestrian events.
Possible · Within days
India moved to fourth in the Asian Games 2026 medal standings after winning five gold medals on Saturday. With 21 gold, 27 silver, and 37 bronze medals, India surpassed Uzbekistan, while the men's hockey team secured an Olympic spot with their victory.
India achieved a record-breaking day at the Asian Games, winning gold in men's hockey, T20 cricket, wrestling, golf, and archery. The success includes historic individual golds for Pranavi Urs and Kumkum Mohod, and secures Olympic berths for the hockey teams.
India finished the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with 85 medals, including 21 gold, securing a top-five position. A strong performance in the final two days, highlighted by hockey and cricket victories, propelled the team up the standings.
The Indian men's hockey team successfully defended their Asian Games gold medal by defeating Malaysia 5-1 in Kakamigahara, Japan. The victory secures India's qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and completes a golden double for Indian hockey.
Indian wrestler Deepak Punia secured a bronze medal in the 97kg freestyle event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, defeating Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar. On the same day, Aman Sehrawat won gold in the 57kg category by defeating DPR Korea's Han Chong Song.
India reached the Asian Games 2026 men's hockey final after a dramatic 4-3 win against Pakistan, setting up a gold-medal clash against Malaysia at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.