19th Asian Games Hangzhou: India’s final medal tally

Prior to India’s final day of competition at the 19th Asian Games on October 7, it was evident that they would surpass the 100-medal milestone, thanks to secured podium finishes. This achievement came swiftly to fruition. In the early hours of Saturday in India, the women’s kabaddi team’s victory over Chinese Taipei in the final became the headline news.

 

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It marked India’s first time reaching a three-digit medal count in the 72-year history of the Games. Five years ago in Jakarta, India’s final medal tally stood at 70, including 16 gold medals. As the Indian contingent concluded their events on Saturday, their tally in Hangzhou reached 107, including 28 gold, 31 silver, and 48 bronze medals.

In terms of their position on the medals table, their fourth-place finish here ranks as India’s third-best performance, following their second-place finish in Delhi in 1951 and third place in Jakarta in 1962.

With a contingent of 655 athletes, the largest ever sent by India to an Asian Games, surpassing the Jakarta tally was within reach, while reaching the 100-medal milestone was uncertain until the track and field events provided the finishing touches to what shooting had initiated after the Games were declared open by China’s President Xi Jinping on September 23.

However, the journey didn’t begin smoothly, as issues arose with the football squad, which faced last-minute additions and deletions. Additionally, the equestrian and boxing campaigns encountered legal challenges during the build-up, and the wrestlers faced suboptimal preparation due to protests and court disputes.

Upon arrival in China, complications arose for the Wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, with visa and accreditation problems ultimately leading to three of them being unable to participate in the Asian Games.

In contrast, the latter part of the Games was marked by celebrations as India secured the most gold medals on a single day of the competition since September 23. The two gold medals in kabaddi (men and women), one in men’s cricket, two in archery, and the historic gold in men’s doubles badminton by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty boosted India’s medal count from 22 to 28.

The most notable achievements came from athletics and shooting. The 22 medals won at the shooting ranges in Fuyang provided India with a strong start, with rifle shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and pistol shooter Esha Singh leading the way with four medals each. Shooting remained India’s most successful sport in terms of gold medals (7).

The track and field events contributed 6 gold medals to India’s tally, despite controversies involving alleged bias against Indian athletes by Chinese officials, with Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra successfully defending his 2018 men’s javelin gold.

In total, athletics contributed 6 gold medals to India’s tally, while archery was the next best with 5 gold medals and a total of 9 medals. Over the course of September 24 to October 7, India consistently secured multiple medals each day. Out of the total 107 medals, 52 were won by men, 46 by women, and 9 in mixed events.

Among the 34 Indian athletes who won multiple medals, shooters Aishwary and Esha led the way with four medals each. When considering only gold medals, archers Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Pravin Deotale emerged as the most successful Indian athletes, with three gold medals each.

The Games also witnessed historic firsts and heartwarming achievements. India secured its first-ever team dressage gold in the Asian Games, along with Satwik-Chirag’s historic top-place finish in badminton. Rifle shooter Sift Kaur Samra set a world record in the women’s 50m 3 Positions final, earning gold.

There were also notable performances in windsurfing and table tennis. HS Prannoy ended a 41-year wait for badminton to have an Asian Games men’s singles medallist, while Kishore Jena secured a men’s javelin silver, earning a spot at the Paris Olympics. The men’s hockey team also qualified for the Olympics with a 5-1 victory over Japan in the final.

However, there were disappointments as well, with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia returning empty-handed, and the women’s hockey team missing out on Olympic qualification, settling for a bronze medal instead.

On the other end of the age spectrum, 15-year-old athletes Anahat Singh, a squash player who won two bronze medals, and roller-skater Sanjana Bathula, who secured a bronze in the women’s team relay, represented the younger generation, while 65-year-old Bridge player Jaggy Shivdasani became India’s oldest medallist at the event.