Asian Games 2026: Athletics Provides Depth But Fewer Golds As India Battles On At Asian Games

Mumbai: India’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games has gathered momentum after a relatively subdued start, with athletics providing the bulk of the medals even though the country’s track and field contingent could not reproduce its golden run from Hangzhou.

By Wednesday afternoon, India had won 56 medals, including nine gold, 21 silver and 26 bronze, as action continued across disciplines in Aichi-Nagoya. The tally kept India among the top 10 nations in the medal standings, with shooting among the sports providing gold medals outside athletics.

India's winning streak continues in the Asian Games!

From archery to athletics, Team India is turning every challenge into a medal with brilliant performances. ♂️

10 Gold
21 Silver
28 Bronze
Total 59 medals

The tricolor is flying high. ✨ India's glorious… pic.twitter.com/pEU0DjpI9f

— Eatala Rajender (@Eatala_Rajender) September 30, 2026

Athletics leads medal haul

Athletics, which concluded on Tuesday, remained India's biggest medal contributor. The track and field contingent finished with 24 medals, comprising one gold, eight silver and 15 bronze. The overall haul was five fewer than the 29 medals India won at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, where the country collected six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze.

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India had to wait until the final day of athletics for its first gold, with the women's 4x400m relay quartet delivering the breakthrough. Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish ahead of Bahrain and China. The victory also ensured India maintained its record of winning at least one athletics gold at every Asian Games since 1998.

Vithya, Gulveer shine

Vithya emerged as one of India's leading performers in Nagoya, winning three medals. Besides the relay gold, she took silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze in the women's 400m hurdles. Her 54.75-second effort in the hurdles also broke the long-standing national record.

Distance runner Gulveer Singh was another standout performer, returning with three medals across a demanding programme. He won silver in the men's 10,000m and 1500m before adding bronze in the 5000m, clocking 13:32.75 in the final.

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India also picked up important silver medals through Tajinderpal Singh Toor in shot put, Murali Sreeshankar in long jump, Sarvesh Kushare in high jump and Sawan Barwal in the marathon. Yashvir Singh stepped up in the absence of Neeraj Chopra to claim javelin silver with a personal best of 85.72m, while Rohit Yadav took bronze with 84.35m.

Relay teams add medals

The relay teams provided further returns. Apart from the women's 4x400m gold and mixed 4x400m silver, India claimed bronze in the men's 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relays. Pooja Singh added a bronze in women's high jump on the final day.

The campaign, however, also underlined the drop in India's conversion of podium finishes into victories. Parul Chaudhary won bronze in both the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase, while defending champion Avinash Sable finished fourth in the men's steeplechase. Injuries also affected Praveen Chithravel and Sreeshankar.

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Shooting boosts gold tally

Outside athletics, shooting has been central to India's gold-medal push. Neeru Dhanda won the women's trap title before combining with Kynan Chenai to add the mixed trap team gold on Wednesday.

With several events still to be completed, India's final medal tally remains open. Athletics has supplied depth and 24 podium finishes, but the sharp fall from six gold medals in Hangzhou to one in Nagoya will leave the contingent with plenty to assess after the Games.

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