Anjana Sasi | Reporting from Nagoya, Japan
Nagoya: There was a time in these Asian Games when India were looking up at the medal table rather than looking ahead. Now, with only the final hours of competition remaining in Aichi-Nagoya, India have climbed from 12th to fifth — and fourth place is suddenly within sight. The transformation has come through a remarkable late surge.
India’s gold rush gathered pace at exactly the right moment, with boxing, wrestling, archery, hockey, golf and cricket producing a string of memorable victories. Six gold medals on Friday alone propelled India into the top five. Saturday has added more. India began the final day with 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze medals after a spectacular Friday in which boxing, wrestling, recurve archery and women’s hockey transformed the medal table.
By Saturday afternoon, the picture had changed again. Kumkum Anil Mohod won the women’s individual recurve title, Pranavi Urs delivered a historic individual golf gold, the Indian women’s golf team added silver, Neeraj Chauhan took bronze in men’s recurve, and the men’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by 19 runs to retain its Asian Games title.
India now sits fifth with 81 medals — 19 gold, 26 silver and 36 bronze. Uzbekistan, in fourth, has 20 gold, 23 silver and 22 bronze.
Under the Asian Games medal-table system, gold medals determine the ranking before silver and bronze are considered. That leaves India just one gold behind Uzbekistan and India still has opportunities.
The men’s hockey team faces Malaysia in the final, while wrestling also offers medal possibilities in the remaining programme. The equation is therefore simple in principle but complicated in practice. India needs another gold — and must also watch what Uzbekistan does in its remaining events.
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A single victory could change the ordering. Another Uzbek gold could move the target again. That is what makes the final hours so compelling. There is another layer to India’s final-day campaign. This is not simply about chasing a number on the medal table. The Indian contingent has already produced several defining moments in Nagoya.
The women’s cricket team opened India’s gold account early in the Games. Compound archery produced a historic sweep before recurve archery followed with its own breakthrough. Lovlina Borgohain finally converted years of international experience into Asian Games gold, while Sujeet Kalkal fought his way to wrestling gold. The women’s hockey team ended a 44-year wait for an Asian Games title with a 1-0 victory over China and secured qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Then came Saturday’s additions. Kumkum Mohod’s individual recurve gold ended a 48-year wait in the event and also secured an Olympic quota place. Pranavi Urs produced another landmark by winning India’s first individual Asian Games women’s golf title and the men’s cricket team retained its title by beating Pakistan, giving India another gold at precisely the moment when every top-step finish matters to the medal-table race.
For a contingent that had slipped as low as 12th, fifth place itself represents a dramatic change in momentum. But sport rarely allows athletes to celebrate for long. The final hours offer one last opportunity to push the tally higher. Fourth place is therefore not a prediction. It is a measurable target defined by the remaining results. India needs gold. Uzbekistan remains one gold ahead and every final, every bout and every goal could now matter.
The closing ceremony is still ahead. So is the last chapter of India’s medal-table race. From 12th to fifth, the climb has already been significant. Now comes the final question of Aichi-Nagoya:
Can India make one last leap and finish fourth?
Disclosure: Anjana Sasi’s travel for TheNews21’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games coverage has been supported by a private well-wisher who has requested anonymity. The supporter has no role in TheNews21’s editorial decisions, reporting or coverage.
