India stays fourth as Asian Games offer lessons on road to 2036

India’s sporting ambitions took a sobering reality check at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where a campaign that promised another leap forward ended with a significant dip from the record-breaking haul in Hangzhou.

India retained fourth place in the overall standings but finished with 85 medals — 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze — 21 medals and seven gold fewer than the 106-medal haul, achieved in the last edition. For a country chasing top-10 status by 2036 and a top-five ranking by 2047, the numbers are a reminder that sustaining progress will be far harder than producing a spectacular Games.

At the top, China remained untouchable, finishing with 341 medals, including 169 gold. Japan was second with 83 gold and 269 medals, while South Korea took third with 39 gold and 150 medals.

India’s fourth-place finish still keeps it among Asia’s leading sporting nations. That distinction matters. A fourth-place finish means India remains firmly within the continent’s leading sporting pack, but the gap at the top is still enormous. If it was not for a sensational gold rush in the last two days — when India won 11 gold medals — a top-five place was not possible. The biggest reason for the shortfall was the under-performance of two traditional medal pillars — shooting and athletics. Both arrived with high expectations but left India with fewer medals than in Hangzhou, exposing vulnerabilities in consistency, pressure management and preparation. Shooting suffered a sharp fall.

After producing a stunning seven gold, nine silver and six bronze medals last time, India’s 30-member team returned from Japan with 15 medals — three gold, eight silver and four bronze.

The campaign began with missed opportunities and faltering favourites.   Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker endured a disappointing Games as India’s women drew a blank in the 10m air pistol. The men’s 10m air pistol team of Kamaljeet, Aakash Bhardwaj and Kedarling Uchaganve also failed to make an impact, deepening concerns in an event in which India has traditionally been a strong medal contender.

The breakthrough finally came in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, where Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet won gold. But the shooter who transformed the mood in the camp was Neeru Dhanda. The 27-year-old became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. She added a silver in the women’s team event and another gold in the mixed team competition with Kynan Chenai.

Yet Neeru’s brilliance could not mask the broader concerns. Several Indian shooters faltered after promising starts, particularly against China and South Korea, surrendering winning positions at crucial moments.

The pattern underlined the need for greater mental conditioning and an ability to close out high-pressure competitions. Athletics provided another major disappointment. India lost one of its biggest gold-medal prospects even before the competition began when javelin ace Neeraj Chopra withdrew with injury. The problems extended beyond the javelin.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor could not complete a hat-trick of Asian Games golds, while long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare also settled for silver. Their performances showed India was competitive, but once again the gap between being in contention and finishing on top proved costly. Injuries added to the setbacks as Jyothi Yarraji withdrew from the women’s 100m hurdles before her opening heat after experiencing knee pain and discomfort during warm-up. Avinash Sable, returning from a serious knee injury, finished fourth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase.

The women’s 4x400m relay quartet of Kiran Pahal, M Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj supplied athletics’ lone gold, but the discipline remained well short of its Hangzhou output, where India had won six gold. The disappointments were made more frustrating by uneven preparations.

Accommodation issues, the absence of a dedicated Games village and persistent transport problems disrupted routines. Long journeys to venues, delayed buses and reduced recovery time added to the burden. They do not fully explain the medal shortfall, but they exposed an athlete-support system here.

And yet Aichi-Nagoya also offered something equally important: evidence that India’s sporting base is broadening. Archery provided one of the clearest breakthroughs. Teenager Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian to win the individual recurve gold, capping a landmark campaign in a discipline where India has historically struggled to match its success in compound archery.

India returned with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in archery, matching its overall medal tally from Hangzhou.

More significantly, recurve archers won medals in all five events — two gold, two silver and a bronze — signalling a serious challenge to South Korea’s long-standing dominance.

Wrestling provided six medals, including two golds. What was heartening that Indian wrestlers competed without fear and did not care for reputations as Sujeet Kalkal and Aman Sehrawat defeated Olympic and World Champions on their way to gold. Greco-Roman style exponents Nitesh Siwach and Sunil Kumar also delivered, adding to wrestling’s overall tremendous show. Tennis was a huge disappointment as Indian players returned empty-handed for first time in 40 years. Golf, though, delivered a first.  Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold, while women’s team of Pranavi, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar won silver, giving India its first women’s team golf medal at Games.