India closes Asian Games 2026 with a spectacular medal rush. (Img: X)
Aichi-Nagoya: India signed off from the Asian Games 2026 with a spectacular medal rush, winning gold in hockey, cricket, wrestling, archery and golf on a dramatic final day in Aichi-Nagoya.
The day brought landmark victories for Aman Sehrawat, Kumkum Mohod and Pranavi Urs, while India’s men’s cricket and hockey teams delivered gold-medal performances in two major finals.
The Indian men’s hockey team ended the Games on a high, defeating Malaysia 5-1 in the final to retain its Asian Games title.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring through a penalty-corner drag-flick before India took control of the contest. The victory also secured India direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
India had defeated Pakistan 4-3 in the semifinal, while Malaysia had overcome South Korea 2-1 to reach the final.
With the women’s team also having won gold earlier, both Indian hockey teams finished the Games as Asian champions and secured Olympic qualification.
Aman Sehrawat defeated North Korea’s world champion Han Chong-song 11-7 to win the men’s freestyle 57kg gold. The 23-year-old Indian overcame a strong fightback from Han before regaining control and sealing his first Asian Games title.
Sehrawat had earlier beaten Japan’s Yamato Ogawa, Kazakhstan’s Nurdanat Aitanov and Tajikistan’s Aiaal Belolyubskii on his way to the final. His gold was India’s second wrestling title of the Games after Sujeet Kalkal’s 65kg triumph. Deepak Punia added a bronze in the men’s 97kg category after defeating Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1.
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod won the women’s individual recurve gold after a thrilling final against South Korea’s Oh Yejin. The contest ended 5-5 before Kumkum produced a perfect 10 in the shoot-off, while Oh scored 8.
The victory gave India its first gold in the women’s individual recurve event and also secured an Olympic quota place for the country for LA 2028. Kumkum had already won gold in the women’s recurve team event and silver in the mixed recurve competition.
Neeraj Chauhan added another archery medal, defeating compatriot Dhiraj Bommadevara 6-4 in the men’s individual recurve bronze-medal match.
Pranavi Sharath Urs created history by winning the women’s individual golf gold. She finished at 15-under par after four rounds to become the first Indian woman to win individual golf gold at the Asian Games. India also won silver in the women’s team event through Pranavi, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar.
India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket final to successfully defend its Asian Games title. India posted 211 for six after batting first, with Abhishek Sharma smashing 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma remaining unbeaten on 51 off 22.
Pakistan fought back through Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 off 51, but India held its nerve to restrict Pakistan to 192 for six. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube took two wickets each as India secured another gold in the high-profile final.
India’s concluding-day gold rush was led by Kumkum Mohod in archery, Pranavi Urs in golf, Aman Sehrawat in wrestling, the men’s cricket team and the men’s hockey team. The day also brought bronze medals for Neeraj Chauhan and Deepak Punia, while India added silver in women’s golf.
The final results underlined the breadth of India’s campaign across multiple disciplines. Historic individual victories, successful title defences and Olympic qualification ensured that the Aichi-Nagoya Games ended on a memorable note for the Indian contingent.
