Asian Games 2023 vs 2026: India's Medal Journey, Performance Analysis and Complete 2026 Winners List
- From a Historic 107 Medals in Hangzhou to 85 in Aichi-Nagoya: What Changed for India?
- India's Asian Games journey took an interesting turn between Hangzhou 2023 and Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
At the 2023 Asian Games in China, India created history by crossing the 100-medal mark for the first time, finishing with a record 107 medals — 28 Gold, 38 Silver and 41 Bronze.
Three years later, at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, India finished with 85 medals — 21 Gold, 27 Silver and 37 Bronze. Despite winning 22 fewer medals than in 2023, India retained its fourth position in the overall medal table.
The numbers therefore tell two different stories. Hangzhou 2023 represented India's breakthrough, while Aichi-Nagoya 2026 demonstrated that India has established itself among Asia's leading sporting nations, although sustaining the 100-plus medal level remains a challenge.
Asian Games 2023 vs 2026: India's Medal Tally
|
Edition |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hangzhou 2023 |
28 |
38 |
41 |
107 |
4th |
|
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 |
21 |
27 |
37 |
85 |
4th |
India's total medal count fell by 22 medals, or approximately 20.6%, between the two editions.
The decline was visible across all three medal categories:
-
Gold: 28 → 21
-
Silver: 38 → 27
-
Bronze: 41 → 37
-
Total: 107 → 85
However, India's position remained unchanged at fourth. The 2026 campaign also produced several historic individual and team achievements.
Hangzhou 2023: India's Historic Breakthrough
The 2023 Asian Games remain a landmark in Indian sporting history.
India finished with 107 medals, surpassing the previous national record of 70 medals at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Athletics alone contributed 29 medals, while shooting contributed 22 and archery nine.
India's 2023 medal haul included:
-
28 Gold
-
38 Silver
-
41 Bronze
-
107 Total
The success was spread across a large number of disciplines. Athletics, shooting and archery were particularly important, while India also won gold medals in cricket, hockey, kabaddi, badminton, tennis, equestrian and other sports.
Major highlights of 2023
Some of the most memorable performances included:
-
Neeraj Chopra — Men's Javelin Gold
-
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty — Men's Doubles Badminton Gold
-
Avinash Sable — Men's 3000m Steeplechase Gold
-
Parul Chaudhary — Women's 5000m Gold
-
Annu Rani — Women's Javelin Gold
-
Sift Kaur Samra — Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Gold
-
Jyothi Surekha Vennam — Women's Compound Individual Gold
-
Ojas Deotale — Men's Compound Individual Gold
-
Indian Men's Hockey Team — Gold
-
Indian Men's and Women's Kabaddi Teams — Gold
-
Indian Men's and Women's Cricket Teams — Gold
India's 107-medal performance established a new benchmark for Indian sport.
Aichi-Nagoya 2026: India Finishes with 85 Medals
The 2026 Asian Games in Japan presented a different picture.
India ended its campaign with:
21 Gold + 27 Silver + 37 Bronze = 85 Medals
India finished fourth overall, behind China, Japan and South Korea.
The 85-medal haul was lower than the 107 medals won in 2023, but it still represented one of India's strongest performances in Asian Games history.
More importantly, India produced several historic results.
Historic Achievements at Asian Games 2026
Kumkum Mohod Makes Archery History
Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold medal at the Asian Games.
The Indian women's recurve team also won gold, ending South Korea's long-standing dominance in the event.
This was one of the biggest breakthroughs of India's 2026 campaign.
Neeru Dhanda Ends India's Trap Gold Drought
Shooter Neeru Dhanda won the women's individual trap gold.
India had waited 48 years for an individual Asian Games trap gold.
Dhanda also teamed up with Kynan Chenai to win mixed trap gold, with the pair setting a new Asian record.
Pranavi Urs Creates Golf History
Pranavi Urs won the women's individual golf gold medal, giving India its first-ever Asian Games gold in women's individual golf.
Hockey Delivers Again
India's men's hockey team won gold after defeating Malaysia in the final.
The women's hockey team also won gold, ending India's long wait for an Asian Games women's hockey title.
Boxing Produces Three Gold Medals
India won three boxing gold medals in 2026:
-
Lovlina Borgohain
-
Parveen Hooda
-
Ankush
Lovlina Borgohain's gold was particularly significant as she became only the second Indian woman after Mary Kom to win Asian Games boxing gold.
Why Did India's Medal Count Fall From 107 to 85?
The 22-medal decline deserves careful analysis.
It would be incorrect to conclude that Indian sport simply became weaker. The 2026 results show a more complex picture.
1. Shooting and Athletics did not reproduce their 2023 impact
Shooting was one of India's biggest medal-producing sports in 2023, with 22 medals.
Athletics contributed another 29 medals.
These two disciplines therefore accounted for 51 of India's 107 medals in 2023.
In 2026, the performance in these traditional medal-producing disciplines was less dominant. Contemporary analysis identified weaker performances in shooting and athletics as important factors behind the overall decline.
2. The 2023 performance was exceptionally broad
India's 2023 campaign produced medals across a very wide range of sports.
The 2026 campaign was strong in several areas, particularly archery, boxing, wrestling, hockey and cricket, but did not reproduce the same overall medal depth.
3. Gold-medal conversion remains important
India's gold count dropped from 28 to 21.
This means that the next step is not simply increasing participation or reaching finals. India needs to convert more of its podium finishes into gold medals.
But 2026 Was Not a Failure
Calling 2026 a failure simply because India went from 107 to 85 medals would be misleading.
India:
-
Finished fourth overall
-
Won 21 gold medals
-
Remained ahead of several major Asian sporting nations
-
Produced historic results in archery, shooting and golf
-
Won gold in men's and women's hockey
-
Won gold in men's and women's cricket
-
Won gold in men's and women's kabaddi
-
Won three boxing gold medals
-
Won two wrestling gold medals
The final 85-medal tally also remains a very high benchmark by India's historical standards.
Complete List of India's 2026 Asian Games Medal Winners
India's final 2026 tally was 85 medals: 21 Gold, 27 Silver and 37 Bronze.
Gold Medal Winners — 21
|
Sport |
Event |
Indian Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Cricket |
Women's T20 |
Indian Women's Cricket Team |
|
Cricket |
Men's T20 |
Indian Men's Cricket Team |
|
Kabaddi |
Women's |
Indian Women's Kabaddi Team |
|
Kabaddi |
Men's |
Indian Men's Kabaddi Team |
|
Hockey |
Women's |
Indian Women's Hockey Team |
|
Hockey |
Men's |
Indian Men's Hockey Team |
|
Shooting |
10m Air Pistol Mixed Team |
Kamaljeet & Suruchi Singh |
|
Shooting |
Women's Trap |
Neeru Dhanda |
|
Shooting |
Mixed Trap Team |
Neeru Dhanda & Kynan Chenai |
|
Archery |
Women's Compound Team |
Chikitha Taniparthi, Prithika Pradeep, Jyothi Surekha Vennam |
|
Archery |
Mixed Compound Team |
Sahil Jadhav & Chikitha Taniparthi |
|
Archery |
Men's Compound Team |
Sahil Jadhav, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru, Kushal Dalal |
|
Archery |
Women's Recurve Team |
Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Mohod, Kirti Sharma |
|
Archery |
Women's Individual Recurve |
Kumkum Mohod |
|
Athletics |
Women's 4x400m Relay |
Kiran Pahal, Poovamma M.R., Prachi Choudhary, Vithya Ramraj |
|
Boxing |
Women's 75kg |
Lovlina Borgohain |
|
Boxing |
Women's 65kg |
Parveen Hooda |
|
Boxing |
Men's 80kg |
Ankush |
|
Wrestling |
Men's Freestyle 57kg |
Aman Sehrawat |
|
Wrestling |
Men's Freestyle 65kg |
Sujeet |
|
Golf |
Women's Individual |
Pranavi Urs |
Silver Medal Winners — 27
|
Sport |
Event |
Indian Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|
|
Athletics |
Men's Long Jump |
Murali Sreeshankar |
|
Athletics |
Mixed 4x400m Relay |
Vishal T.K., Poovamma M.R., Manu T.S., Vithya Ramraj |
|
Athletics |
Men's 10,000m |
Gulveer Singh |
|
Athletics |
Men's Marathon |
Sawan Barwal |
|
Athletics |
Men's Shot Put |
Tajinderpal Singh Toor |
|
Athletics |
Men's High Jump |
Sarvesh Kushare |
|
Athletics |
Men's 1500m |
Gulveer Singh |
|
Athletics |
Women's Long Jump |
Ancy Sojan |
|
Athletics |
Men's Javelin |
Yashvir Singh |
|
Shooting |
Women's 10m Air Rifle |
Elavenil Valarivan |
|
Shooting |
Women's 10m Air Rifle Team |
Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod |
|
Shooting |
Men's 10m Air Rifle |
Himanshu Dhillon |
|
Shooting |
Men's 10m Air Rifle Team |
Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon, Parth Mane |
|
Shooting |
Men's 50m Rifle 3P Team |
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil, Niraj Kumar |
|
Shooting |
Women's 50m Rifle 3P Team |
Ashi Chouksey, Vidarsa Vinod, Tilottama Sen |
|
Shooting |
Women's 25m Pistol |
Esha Singh |
|
Shooting |
Women's Trap Team |
Neeru Dhanda, Manisha Keer, Aashima Ahlawat |
|
Archery |
Men's Recurve Team |
Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge |
|
Archery |
Mixed Recurve Team |
Dhiraj Bommadevara, Kumkum Mohod |
|
Squash |
Women's Singles |
Anahat Singh |
|
Squash |
Men's Singles |
Abhay Singh |
|
Weightlifting |
Women's 49kg |
Mirabai Chanu |
|
Wushu |
Women's 60kg Sanda |
Roshibina Devi |
|
Wrestling |
Women's 53kg |
Antim Panghal |
|
Wrestling |
Greco-Roman 97kg |
Nitesh Siwach |
|
Sailing |
Men's Skiff |
Prince Noble Kurisinkal, Manu Francis |
|
Golf |
Women's Team |
Pranavi Urs, Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar |
Bronze Medal Winners — 37
The 37 bronze medals were won across shooting, MMA, soft tennis, badminton, rowing, athletics, table tennis, squash, boxing, wrestling, sailing, sepak takraw and archery.
Notable bronze medallists included:
-
Rudrankksh Patil — Men's 10m Air Rifle
-
Suchika Tariyal — Women's Traditional MMA -60kg
-
Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal — Women's Skeet Team
-
Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad Khan — Men's Skeet Team
-
Jay Meena — Men's Soft Tennis Singles
-
Indian Men's Badminton Team
-
Satnam Singh and Salman Khan — Men's Double Sculls
-
Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Parinaaz Dhaliwal — Mixed Skeet Team
-
Seema Kumari — Women's 10,000m
-
Diya Chitale and Manush Shah — Mixed Doubles Table Tennis
-
Manpreet Kaur — Women's Shot Put
-
Baranica Elangovan — Women's Pole Vault
-
Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar — Squash Mixed Doubles
-
Prachi Choudhary — Women's 400m
-
Harita Bhadra — Women's 200m
-
Tejaswin Shankar — Decathlon
-
Parul Chaudhary — Women's 3000m Steeplechase
-
Parul Chaudhary — Women's 5000m
-
Vithya Ramraj — Women's 400m Hurdles
-
Gulveer Singh — Men's 5000m
-
Rohit Yadav — Men's Javelin
-
Narender Berwal — Men's +90kg Boxing
-
Priya Ghanghas — Women's 60kg Boxing
-
Kapil Pokhariya — Men's 90kg Boxing
-
Sunil Kumar — Greco-Roman 87kg Wrestling
-
Deepak Punia — Men's 97kg Wrestling
-
Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa and Tanvi Khanna — Women's Squash Team
-
Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar — Men's Squash Team
-
Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma — Women's Skiff
-
Nethra Kumanan — Women's Dinghy
-
Indian Men's Sepaktakraw Team
-
Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru — Men's Compound Individual Archery
-
Neeraj Chauhan — Men's Individual Recurve Archery
-
Pooja Singh — Women's High Jump
-
Indian Men's 4x400m Relay Team
-
Indian Mixed 4x100m Relay Team
The event-by-event final list is documented by Indian Express and NDTV.
2023 vs 2026: The Final Verdict
The comparison between the two Asian Games can be summarised as follows:
|
Parameter |
2023 |
2026 |
|---|---|---|
|
Gold |
28 |
21 |
|
Silver |
38 |
27 |
|
Bronze |
41 |
37 |
|
Total |
107 |
85 |
|
Overall position |
4th |
4th |
|
100+ medals |
Yes |
No |
The 2023 Asian Games were India's breakthrough edition.
The 2026 Asian Games were a test of sustainability.
The 22-medal decline is significant, particularly because shooting and athletics did not reproduce their 2023 output. But the emergence of new champions in archery, boxing, golf, wrestling and shooting shows that India's medal base is continuing to diversify.
The next challenge is clear: India needs to turn an exceptional 107-medal performance into a sustainable 100-plus medal standard.
The next Asian Games in Doha in 2030 will provide the next major test.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many medals did India win at the Asian Games 2023?
India won 107 medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 — 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.
How many medals did India win at the Asian Games 2026?
India won 85 medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 — 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.
What was India's rank at the Asian Games 2026?
India finished fourth in the overall medal table.
How many fewer medals did India win in 2026 compared with 2023?
India won 22 fewer medals in 2026. The tally fell from 107 in 2023 to 85 in 2026.
Which Indian athlete made history in archery at the 2026 Asian Games?
Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold medal at the Asian Games.
Who won India's first women's individual golf gold at the Asian Games?
Pranavi Urs won the women's individual golf gold at the 2026 Asian Games, giving India its first gold in the event.
Who won India's 2026 Asian Games women's trap gold?
Neeru Dhanda won the women's individual trap gold. She also won mixed trap gold with Kynan Chenai.
Which sports were particularly successful for India in 2026?
India had notable success in archery, shooting, hockey, cricket, kabaddi, boxing, wrestling and golf.
Did India improve its Asian Games ranking in 2026?
No. India finished fourth in both 2023 and 2026, despite the decline in its total medal count.
What was India's best Asian Games medal tally before 2023?
Before Hangzhou 2023, India's previous best was 70 medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
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