NISHIO/OKAZAKI/NAGOYA/GAMAGORI/KAKAMIGAHARA, OCT 2 (IANS/PTI): India produced one of its finest performances at the Asian Games 2026, securing multiple gold medals across boxing, archery, hockey and wrestling while adding silver and bronze medals in other disciplines. The day was highlighted by historic victories from Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal, the women’s recurve archery team, the women’s hockey team and wrestler Sujeet Kalkal, showcasing India’s growing dominance on the continental sporting stage.
Lovlina scripts history with birthday gold
Indian boxing star Lovlina Borgohain achieved a historic feat by winning the gold medal in the women’s 75kg category at the Asian Games 2026 on her 29th birthday. The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist defeated China’s Bao Ziyi by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the final at Nishio Gymnasium, becoming only the second Indian woman boxer after Mary Kom to win an Asian Games gold medal.
Lovlina dominated the contest with her superior technique and control. After narrowly winning the opening round 3-2, she comfortably secured the next two rounds by 4-1 margins to seal an impressive victory. Four judges scored the bout 29-28 in her favour, while one judge awarded her a wider 30-27 verdict. The triumph also improved upon the silver medal she won at the previous Commonwealth Games.
Ankush leads India’s record boxing campaign
India concluded its boxing campaign at the Asian Games 2026 on a high note as Ankush Panghal won the gold medal in the men’s 80kg category, helping the country secure an impressive haul of six medals. Facing South Korea’s Minseong Kim in the final, Ankush delivered a dominant performance to register a convincing 4-0 victory at the Nishio Gymnasium.
The Indian boxer controlled the bout from the outset, combining aggressive attacks with effective counter-punching. He won the opening round 4-1 and further strengthened his dominance by taking the second round 5-0. Maintaining his superiority in the final round, Ankush blended strong defence with sharp attacks to secure the contest comfortably. Four judges scored the bout in his favour, while one judge declared it a tie.
Ankush’s victory completed a remarkable boxing campaign for India, which finished with three gold and three bronze medals, making it one of the country’s most successful performances in the sport at the Asian Games.
Parveen captures India’s 2nd women’s boxing gold
Indian boxer Parveen Hooda achieved a major career milestone by winning the gold medal in the women’s 65kg category at the Asian Games 2026. The 26-year-old defeated Chinese Taipei’s Nien-chin Che in a closely contested final, securing India’s second women’s boxing gold of the Games and ending her long wait for an Asian Games medal.
Parveen started the final strongly, dominating the opening round with a 5-0 score. However, Che fought back to win the second round by the same margin, setting up a tense decider. Displaying remarkable composure under pressure, Parveen edged the final round 3-2 to claim the gold medal. The victory added another significant achievement to an already impressive career that includes gold medals at the 2025 World Cup and 2022 Asian Championships, along with a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. With this triumph, Parveen became only the third Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold medal, joining the elite company of legendary boxer Mary Kom and Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain.
Indian women’s recurve team bags historic gold
The Indian women’s recurve archery team of Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Mohod, and Kirti scripted history by defeating 10-time champions South Korea to win India’s first-ever gold medal in the women’s recurve team event at the Asian Games 2026. Competing in their maiden Asian Games final, the Indian trio displayed remarkable composure and skill to secure a memorable 5-3 victory at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.
The triumph was particularly significant as South Korea had dominated the event for decades and had not lost a final since the inaugural Asian Games in 1982. India had previously won bronze medals in 2010 and 2022 but had never reached the final before this edition. Earlier in the tournament, the Indian team defeated China 5-1 in the semifinals to book their place in the title clash.
India women’s hockey team wins Asian Games gold after 44 years
The Indian women’s hockey team humbled defending champions China 1-0 here on Friday to win their first Asian Games gold medal in 44 years, securing a direct berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Lalremsiami scored the all-important winning goal for India with a fantastic tomahawk in the 10th minute.
The Indians were at their best in defence as they thwarted relentless Chinese attack thereafter, including a penalty stroke save by veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia. With this, India ended a 44-year wait for their second Asian Games gold.
India have won the women’s hockey gold only once, in 1982, when women’s hockey made its debut at the Asian Games, and have since come close to reclaiming the title on two occasions. They finished runners-up in 1998 and 2018, losing to South Korea and Japan respectively.
Sujeet wins wrestling gold
Sujeet Kalkal underlined his growing supremacy in the men’s 65kg category, clinching the Asian Games gold here on Friday, while defeating an Olympic champion en route to the title to crown a stunning year of domination.
He had already beaten stronger Iranian and Japanese rivals on his way to the final, and there was no doubt that the 23-year-old Sujeet would bag his first Asian Games gold. But Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev made it challenging for the Indian. Sujeet fell behind 2-9 but scored eight points in a row in a dramatic turnaround for a sensational victory.
India win silver in men’s recurve archery team
The Indian team went down fighting 0-2 to hosts Japan in the men’s quadrant semifinals to settle for a bronze medal in the Sepaktakraw competition of the Asian Games here on Friday. India lost the last-four match 12-15, 13-15.
The second set was more intense with the Indian team fighting hard but kept trailing Japan throughout, even narrowing the difference to 13-14 in the final stages.
India men’s quadrant wins sepaktakraw bronze
India’s men’s quadrant team earned a historic bronze medal in sepaktakraw after losing to Japan 0-2 in the semifinal at the Asian Games 2026. The Indian team, comprising Malemnganba Singh Sorokhaibam, Ram Kumar Sharma, Bobby Kumar and Akash Yumnam, fought hard but was defeated in two closely contested sets, 12-15 and 13-15.
The bronze medal was a significant achievement for Indian sepaktakraw, becoming only the country’s third medal in the sport at the Asian Games.
Nethra ends 12-year wait with sailing bronze
Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan secured a bronze medal in the women’s dinghy event at the Asian Games 2026, ending a 12-year quest for a podium finish. After narrowly missing medals in previous editions, finishing seventh, fifth, and fourth respectively, Nethra finally achieved her breakthrough at the Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor.
She accumulated a total of 14 points after the final races, finishing behind Thailand’s Sophia Montgomery, who won gold, and Singapore’s Jania Ang, who took silver.