New Delhi, October 3 (H.S.). The 2026 Asian Games were not merely a campaign in which India increased its medal tally; they also proved to be an edition in which the country scripted new chapters across several sports and events. A look at the list of achievements shows that India recorded at least 15 accomplishments that can be described as firsts or historic milestones. In addition, several athletes ended long medal droughts, improved previous records, and a number of debutants announced their arrival by winning medals on their maiden appearance at the Asian Games.

According to the official achievement table, 83 of India’s 310 debutants won medals. They included 43 women and 40 men. This means that approximately 26.77 per cent of Indian athletes making their Asian Games debut succeeded in winning medals. The debutant medallists won a total of 41 medals, comprising 14 gold, 12 silver and 15 bronze.

First Asian Games Medals for India from MMA to Soft Tennis

India’s historic achievements began in sports where the country had not previously opened its medal account at the Asian Games.

Suchika Tariyal won a medal in the women’s traditional 60kg category to secure India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA. Jay Meena, meanwhile, won a bronze medal in men’s singles to give India its first Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

India also won medals for the first time in two shooting events. Maheshwari Chauhan, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Raiza Dhillon won bronze in the women’s skeet team event, while Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Anantjeet Singh Naruka claimed bronze in the mixed team skeet event. Both achievements were recorded as India’s first Asian Games medals in these events.

In rowing, Satnam Singh and Salman Khan won bronze in the men’s double sculls to secure India’s first Asian Games medal in the event. In athletics, Baranica Elangovan won bronze in the women’s pole vault, giving India its first Asian Games medal in the event.

First Shooting Golds, Historic Archery Achievements

Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event in shooting. It was India’s first Asian Games gold medal in the event.

In squash, Anahat Singh won silver in the women’s singles. She became the first Indian woman to reach the women’s singles final at the Asian Games and secured India’s first silver medal in the event.

In wushu, Naorem Roshibina Devi won silver in the women’s 60kg sanda category, becoming the first Indian athlete to win medals at three consecutive Asian Games.

In shooting, Kynan Chenai and Neeru won gold in the mixed team trap event. It was India’s first gold medal in the event at the Asian Games. The pair also set a new Asian record by hitting 34 of 40 targets.

In archery, Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Anil Mohod and Kirti won gold in the women’s recurve team event. It was India’s first Asian Games gold medal in the event. Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod, meanwhile, won silver in the mixed recurve team event, which was India’s first silver medal in the event.

New Chapters in Boxing and Sailing

In boxing, Lovlina Borgohain won gold in the women’s 75kg category, securing India’s first Asian Games gold medal in the weight category.

In sailing, Nethra Kumanan won bronze in the women’s dinghy event. It was India’s first Asian Games medal in the event.

In sepak takraw, the Indian team won bronze in the men’s quadrant event. It was India’s first Asian Games medal in the men’s quadrant event.

Thus, the list of sports and events in which India won medals for the first time included MMA, soft tennis, several shooting events, rowing, pole vault, squash, archery, boxing, sailing and sepak takraw.

From Mirabai to Hockey, Long Waits Also Came to an End

India’s historic achievements were not limited to winning medals for the first time. Mirabai Chanu won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category, securing the first Asian Games medal of her career and ending India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal.

Sawan Barwal also registered a significant achievement in the men’s marathon. According to the table, it was India’s first Asian Games medal in the men’s marathon since 1982 and the country’s first such medal in the event won outside India.

In cricket, Shafali Verma scored a century in the women’s T20 event. The table describes it as the first century by an Indian woman at the Asian Games and the first century in the history of women’s cricket at the Asian Games. Smriti Mandhana also became the first woman cricketer to complete 11,000 international runs.

In table tennis, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale won bronze in mixed doubles. It was India’s fourth table tennis medal in Asian Games history and its second in the mixed doubles event.

Continued Success in Wrestling

In wrestling, Sunil Kumar won bronze in the 87kg Greco-Roman category, becoming the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to reach the podium at two consecutive editions of the Asian Games.

Nitesh Kumar won silver in the 97kg Greco-Roman category, becoming only the second Indian Greco-Roman wrestler in history to reach an Asian Games final and win a silver medal. The table records his achievement as coming 64 years after Maruti Mane’s silver medal in 1962.

Sujeet Kalkal won gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle category, becoming only the third Indian wrestler to win gold in the weight category. Yogeshwar Dutt achieved the feat in 2014, followed by Bajrang Punia in 2018.

In boxing, Parveen won gold in the women’s 65kg category, becoming the third Indian woman boxer in Asian Games history to win gold.

Women’s Hockey Wins Gold After 44 Years

The Indian women’s hockey team also made a historic comeback. The team won the gold medal, ending a 44-year wait. India had last won gold in women’s hockey at the Asian Games in 1982.

India’s boxing campaign was also described in the table as one of its most successful campaigns. Indian boxers won a total of six medals at the 2026 Asian Games — three gold and three bronze. According to the table, in terms of gold medals, it was India’s most successful Asian Games campaign in boxing, surpassing the performance in 2010, when India won nine medals — two gold, three silver and four bronze.

Debutants Also Leave a Strong Mark

As many as 310 Indian athletes made their Asian Games debuts in 2026. Of them, 83 succeeded in winning medals. They included 43 women and 40 men. These debutant medallists won a total of 41 medals — 14 gold, 12 silver and 15 bronze.

In the sport-wise statistics, all 15 debutants in kabaddi became medallists, winning two gold medals. In athletics, 14 of 51 debutants won medals, contributing 10 medals in all, including one gold, three silver and six bronze.

In shooting, 13 of 17 debutants won medals. They secured a total of 11 medals — three gold, six silver and two bronze. In cricket, 10 of 20 debutants became medallists and contributed one gold medal.

In archery, all nine debutants became medallists. They won six medals, including four gold and two silver. In boxing, two of six debutants won medals, accounting for one gold and two bronze medals.

In rowing, one of the 15 debutants became a medallist, while three of four debutants in squash won medals, securing two bronze medals in all. In wrestling, two of 10 debutants won medals — one gold and one silver. In sepak takraw, three of 14 debutants became medallists and won one bronze medal.

Several Debutants Also Won More Than One Medal

The individual list of debutants also shows that several athletes won more than one medal in their very first Asian Games appearance. In athletics, Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi and Manu Thekkinalil Saji won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay. Yashvir Singh won a medal in the men’s javelin throw, while Sawan Barwal secured a medal in the men’s marathon.

In women’s athletics, Kiran Pahal won gold in the women’s 4x400m relay and silver in the mixed 4x400m relay. Baranica Elangovan won a medal in the women’s pole vault.

In badminton, Ayush Shetty, Tharun Mannepalli and Hariharan Amsakarunan were part of India’s men’s team medal-winning campaign. In cricket, Pratika Rawal, Bharati Fulmali, G. Kamalini, Shree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur and other debutants contributed to the women’s team’s gold medal.

A large number of debutants also won medals in kabaddi. Several players from both the women’s and men’s teams made their Asian Games debuts and became part of the gold-medal-winning teams. In shooting, archery, wrestling and squash too, several debutants won medals in individual and team events.

New Names, New Sports and New Records

The achievements at the 2026 Asian Games show that India’s campaign was not confined to the traditional medal-winning sports. By winning medals for the first time in events such as MMA, soft tennis, sepak takraw, sailing and pole vault, India established its presence in several new areas.

At the same time, athletes in archery, shooting, wrestling, boxing, hockey and cricket advanced previous records and achievements. Most notably, 83 debutants succeeded in winning medals, including 14 gold medallists.

In this regard, the 2026 Asian Games emerged not merely as a medal-winning campaign for India, but also as an edition marked by entry into new sporting disciplines, the ending of long-standing medal droughts, improvement upon previous records and the emergence of a new generation of medallists.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar