Asian Games 2026: India athletics targets 20-25 medals

India will send a 75-member athletics contingent to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with the team targeting between 20 and 25 medals as it looks to remain one of the country’s biggest contributors at the continental event.

Athletics has been India’s most successful Asian Games sport historically, producing 283 medals and accounting for more than 35 per cent of the nation’s overall tally. The immediate benchmark, however, is Hangzhou, where India’s athletics team claimed 29 medals—the country’s highest total in any sport at that edition and the second-highest athletics haul behind China.

Repeating that 29-medal return will be difficult. India will be without Hangzhou javelin champions Neeraj Chopra and Annu Rani, while the champion relay teams have also undergone significant changes. Even so, the squad contains strong medal prospects across jumps, throws, distance races and relays.

Jumpers and throwers headline India’s medal push

India’s jumpers arrive among the leading contenders in the programme after an outstanding couple of seasons. Murali Sreeshankar in the men’s long jump, Ancy Sojan in the women’s long jump, Sarvesh Kushare in the men’s high jump and Pooja Singh in the women’s high jump enter as the 2026 Asian leaders in their respective events.

Sreeshankar and Ancy will be seeking to turn their Hangzhou silver medals into gold. The jumps group also includes athletes in triple jump, pole vault and high jump, giving India opportunities across several field events.

In the throws, Tajinderpal Singh Toor is pursuing a third consecutive Asian Games gold in the men’s shot put. The men’s javelin pair of Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav, both coming off solid seasons, could contend for podium places while facing world leader Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka. India also has medal targets in the women’s hammer, shot put and discus, though a strong Chinese contingent awaits in those events.

Tejaswin Shankar, the reigning Asian Games decathlon silver medallist, will aim to improve on his Hangzhou result. The field-event strength is particularly important to India’s overall target, especially with changes in other areas of the team compared with the previous Games.

Middle- and long-distance events remain another major source of optimism. India won 15 medals across the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase at the last two Asian Games. The group has faced injury concerns and stronger competition from Japan, Qatar and Bahrain since Hangzhou, but the team is still targeting six or seven medals in these events. Gulveer Singh and Parul Chaudhary are among the in-form athletes in the squad.

Relays, comeback athletes and broadcast details

Individual sprint medals remain a difficult proposition for India. The country has won only two Asian Games medals in the men’s and women’s 100m or 200m over the past two decades, both through Dutee Chand. Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Vishal TK and Harita Bhadra would need exceptional performances, including possible personal bests or national records, to challenge competitors from China, Japan and Bahrain.

The relay events offer stronger prospects. India’s men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m squads, along with mixed relay teams, are expected to compete for multiple medals. The programme includes heats and finals for the mixed 4x400m relay, mixed 4x100m relay, and the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Two key names to watch are Jyothi Yarraji and Avinash Sable, who are returning from injuries and seeking to regain their best form as they attempt to defend their medals in the women’s 100m hurdles and men’s 3000m steeplechase respectively. The athletics schedule also features marathon, marathon race walk, heptathlon and decathlon events alongside the track and field finals.

The Asian Games will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network, with live streaming available through SonyLIV.