Asian Games 2026: India Seeks Gold-Medal Surge in Final Days

India had won only two gold medals after six days of competition at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, leaving the contingent 12th on the medal table at the end of events on 25 September. With nine silvers and 12 bronzes, India’s total stood at 23 medals, but the absence of more top-place finishes has become the central concern with nine days of competition remaining.

The two gold medals came in women’s cricket and the mixed 10m air pistol event, where Suruchi Phogat and Kamaljeet delivered India’s shooting breakthrough. The early tally is a sharp contrast to the delayed previous Asian Games in China, where India finished with 107 medals before that total was reduced to 106 following a doping case involving a boxer.

A repeat of that three-figure haul was already viewed as unlikely before these Games, given the field, contingent size and recent form. Still, the early results in sports such as shooting and rowing have made it increasingly clear that India will not match the 28 gold medals won at the last edition.

Gold defences that have slipped away

India had failed to defend several previous gold medals by 25 September. The list included men’s doubles badminton, women’s 10m air pistol, men’s 50m rifle three positions team, men’s 10m air pistol team, men’s 10m air rifle team and equestrian dressage team.

Some of the shooting results need to be viewed in context. The missed team gold medals in shooting are not Olympic events, meaning they have limited long-term significance for the sport. They still matter heavily to the medal-table calculation, however, particularly as China responded to its disappointing home Games three years earlier by winning each of four such gold medals.

The greater concerns in shooting came in the women’s 10m air pistol, where India had won gold and silver at the previous edition, and in the men’s 10m air pistol team event, where no Indian shooter reached the final at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range. Phogat and Kamaljeet’s mixed 10m air pistol gold helped ease some of those doubts after India had taken silver in that event previously.

There were also individual setbacks. Anantjeet Singh Naruka dropped from an individual skeet silver at the last Games to fourth, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar went from silver to fifth place. In badminton, reigning men’s doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty exited early. They had beaten the reigning and former world champions in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the team event, but were beaten by the world No. 36 pair in their individual campaign.

The dressage team result also arrived after a difficult build-up. India’s gold in the discipline at the previous Games had been its first and had ended a 41-year wait. Only Hriday Chheda returned from that winning quartet, while selection issues and a dispute surrounding the fitness status of his mare had clouded the team’s preparations. The Indian Olympic Association ultimately cleared Chheda and his mare after a secondary veterinary examination.

Where India can still find gold

Team sports offer India some of its clearest remaining routes to gold. The men’s and women’s kabaddi teams were set to face Iran in Saturday’s finals, while the men’s cricket and men’s hockey teams remained key prospects. The women’s hockey side was also identified as a possible contender after a strong run since the FIH World Cup last month.

Elsewhere, the men’s squash team has an opportunity, though it is without veterans Saurav Ghoshal, Mahesh Mangaonkar and Harinder Pal Sandhu from the previous gold-winning side. The younger group, led by Abhay Singh, faces a significant test.

Athletics could provide further gains. Tajinderpal Singh Toor is pursuing a third consecutive title, while Murali Sreeshankar, Praveen Chitravel, Parul Chaudhary, Gulveer Singh, Pooja Singh, Sarvesh Kushare and Tejaswin Shankar were all cited among India’s possible medal contenders. Avinash Sable could also be in contention if he returns to full fitness.

India swept all five compound archery gold medals at the previous Games, a result that looks difficult to repeat but leaves room for multiple podium challenges. In recurve, Dhiraj Bommadevara’s showing at the Archery World Cup Final earlier in September offered encouragement. Wrestling is yet to begin, with Aman Sehrawat in men’s 57kg and Sujeet Kalklal in men’s 65kg among those expected to contend in strong fields.

India’s start has been well below the pace of its last Asian Games campaign, but its programme still contains several realistic gold-medal chances. The final stretch will determine whether those opportunities can lift the contingent substantially from its current position.