Seven medals. That’s the number that pushed India back into the top 10 of the Asian Games table on Saturday. The surge came from a day where the country didn’t just participate, it dominated specific events, crossing the 30-medal mark (4 gold, 12 silver, 14 bronze) after seven days of competition in Aichi-Nagoya.
Kabaddi did the heavy lifting. Both the men’s and women’s teams defended their titles, beating Iran in the finals to secure a historic double. It’s a sport where India has built an empire, and seeing both squads walk away with gold in the same afternoon is the kind of dominance that shifts the entire tally overnight.
But the day wasn’t just about the mat. Sawan Barwal delivered a historic silver in the marathon, a performance that stood out against the backdrop of the track and field events. Prachi Choudhary grabbed bronze in the women’s 400m, while two-time champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor added another silver in the shot put. He threw a season-best 20.64m, narrowly missing the gold after Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebise set a Games Record with 20.81m.
Shooting and squash rounded out the haul. Tilottama Sen, Vidarsa Vinod, and Ashi Chouksey took silver in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event. In squash, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar settled for bronze in the mixed doubles, but the real news is that Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh are alive in their respective singles finals, keeping Olympic qualification hopes for LA 2028 very much in play.
At the top, China is in a league of its own, sitting at 107 golds and 176 total medals. India is 10th, but the gap to the podium is still significant. The men’s hockey team also moved to the semifinals, beating Japan 2-0, which keeps the pressure on for more golds before the games conclude.