India’s athletes have had a remarkable Asian Games 2023, winning 100 medals, including 25 gold, 35 silver, and 40 bronze. On Saturday, India achieved the historic milestone of 100 medals with three back-to-back gold medals in archery and women’s kabaddi1. This landmark achievement not only underscores their dedication and capabilities but also positions our nation on the path to becoming a sporting powerhouse.
The Indian contingent’s medal rush was led by the shooters and track and field athletes, who won 22 and 29 medals respectively. The shooters bagged seven gold, nine silver, and six bronze in various events. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Esha Singh were the most successful shooters with four medals each. The track and field athletes also shone bright with six gold, 14 silver, and nine bronze. Neeraj Chopra, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Parul Chaudhary, Annu Rani, the compound mixed team, and the compound women’s team clinched the gold medals in their respective events.
India also excelled in other sports such as cricket, equestrian, squash, tennis, rowing, sailing, boxing, roller skating, golf, table tennis, canoe sprint, and wushu. India won its first-ever gold medal in women’s cricket by defeating Pakistan in a thrilling final. India also won its first-ever gold medal in equestrian dressage team event3. In squash, India won three gold medals in men’s team, mixed doubles, and women’s team events4. In tennis, Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza won the gold medal in mixed doubles5.
The historic performance of India at the Asian Games 2023 was inspired by a grand campaign launched by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the event. The campaign ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar, Phir se, Hum Hongey Kamyab’ aimed to galvanize the whole nation for a singular purpose – a united India, cheering in unison, and inspiring its athletes to unprecedented heights to enable them to transcend past records and push boundaries. The campaign garnered support from an impressive line-up of influential and iconic figures such as Union Minister of Sports Shri Anurag Thakur, Chief of Defence Staff Lt Gen Anil Chauhan along with Chiefs of tri-services Gen Manoj Pandey, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar, and Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who put their might behind the Indian athletes vying for glory at the multi-sport event. The campaign also brought together celebrities from various genres of life such as Amitabh Bachchan, Sudha Murty, Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapoor, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Kapil Sharma, Mirabai Chanu, Zaheer Khan, Anju Bobby George, Raja Randhir Singh and many more who shared their messages for the participating athletes to reach higher echelons in this edition of the quadrennial extravaganza.
The campaign ‘Iss Baar Sau Paar’ truly became a reality as India crossed the 100-medal mark for the first time in the history of the Asian Games. The Indian athletes have made the nation proud with their outstanding performance across various disciplines and have shown that nothing is impossible when we work together as one. As the Asian Games 2023 comes to a close on Sunday, we salute our heroes who have given us many moments of joy and glory. We hope that their achievements will inspire many more young talents to pursue their dreams and make India a force to reckon with in the world of sports.
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