India has made history by surpassing their previous highest medal count at the Asian Games 2023, and now has a shot at achieving a record-breaking century. With four days of competition left, India has already won 62 medals – 13 gold, 24 silver, and 25 bronze – and is ranked sixth in the overall medal tally. This is India’s best-ever performance at the Asian Games, surpassing the 70 medals they won in Jakarta in 2018.
India’s medal rush has been led by the shooters, who have bagged 22 medals so far, including seven gold. Pistol shooter Esha Singh has been the most prolific medalist for India, winning four medals – one gold and three silver. Rifle shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has also won four medals – two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Ashi Chouksey has won three medals – two silver and a bronze – in the rifle events.
India’s other gold medals have come from athletics, women’s cricket, equestrian, squash and tennis. In athletics, Avinash Mukund Sable won the gold in men’s 3000m steeplechase, breaking the Asian Games record with a time of 8:15.56. Tejinder Pal Singh Toor clinched the gold in men’s shot put with a throw of 20.92m, also setting a new Asian Games record.
In women’s cricket, India defeated Pakistan by nine wickets in the final to win the gold medal. India chased down the target of 113 runs in just 15.1 overs, with opener Shafali Verma scoring an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls. This was India’s first gold medal in cricket at the Asian Games.
In equestrian, India won the gold medal in the dressage team event, with Fouaad Mirza, Ashish Malik, Akash Malik, and Rakesh Kumar scoring a total of 228.00 points. This was India’s first gold medal in equestrian since 1982.
In tennis, Ankita Raina and Ramkumar Ramanathan won the gold medal in mixed doubles, beating Kazakhstan’s Gozal Ainitdinova and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-4, 6-4 in the final. This was India’s first gold medal in tennis since 2010.
In squash, India won the gold medal in the men’s team event, beating Malaysia 2-0 in the final. Saurav Ghosal and Mahesh Mangaonkar won their respective singles matches to seal the victory for India. This was India’s first gold medal in squash at the Asian Games.
India has also won medals in rowing, sailing, golf, wushu and boxing. In rowing, India won five medals – two silver and three bronze – in various events. In sailing, India won three medals – one silver and two bronze – in mixed RS One and mixed RS:X events. In golf, India won a silver medal in a men’s team event. In Wushu, Praveen Kumar won a silver medal in the men’s sanda 48kg category. In boxing, Pooja Rani won a bronze medal in the women’s middleweight category.
India still has many medal prospects left in the remaining events, such as badminton, hockey, archery, and more shooting. With some luck and determination, India can hope to reach the elusive mark of 100 medals at the Asian Games for the first time ever. This would be a remarkable achievement for Indian sports and a testament to the hard work and talent of the Indian athletes.
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