India Finishes Fourth at Asian Games With 85 Medals

India won 21 gold among 85 medals to finish behind China, Japan and South Korea.

India ended its 2026 Asian Games campaign in fourth place with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. China dominated the overall standings, while Japan and South Korea finished ahead of India. Although India did not match its record 106-medal performance from Hangzhou, the campaign produced several historic results across archery, athletics, hockey, shooting, boxing, golf, wrestling and other sports.

Several individual achievements stood out. Kumkum Anil Mohod became the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, while the women’s recurve team ended South Korea’s long dominance in the event. Shooter Neeru Dhanda ended a 48-year wait for India in trap shooting and also helped set an Asian record in mixed trap. Pranavi Urs won India’s first Asian Games golf gold. The men’s hockey team retained its continental title and secured qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while Lovlina Borgohain became only the second Indian woman to win an Asian Games boxing gold.

The overall medal tally therefore tells only part of the story. India’s performance showed growing depth across disciplines rather than dependence on a small number of traditional medal-producing sports. Athletics produced the largest number of medals, while shooting and archery delivered substantial numbers of golds. At the same time, some sports underperformed, including tennis and badminton, while India missed opportunities in shooting despite a strong finish. The fourth-place result leaves India with a mixed but broadly positive picture: the country is becoming more competitive across a wider sporting base, but closing the gap with China, Japan and South Korea will require deeper investment in elite training, sports science, talent identification and international competition.