Asian Games 2023: India touch historic tally of 100 medals with back to back golds in archery and kabaddi

Early on Saturday morning, the Indian contingent won three back to back gold medals in archery and women’s kabaddi to take the country’s medal tally to 100.

Archer Jyothi Vennam and Praveen Ojas won gold in their respective individual compound events, while the women’s kabaddi team defeated Chinese Taipei win a thrilling final match to make it 100 for India.

As of now, India have won 22 and 29 medals in shooting and track and field. India have won 5 medals in rowing, 3 in sailing, while other medals have come in, across multiple disciplines in the Asian Games 2023.

Kabaddi Gold
Indian women’s kabaddi team took back their gold medal having finished at bronze in the 2018 edition of the event. The Indian women’s team started with a strong first half, taking a 5-point lead (14-9). Chinese Taipei hit back with an incredible comeback performance in the second half of the match, catching back to India and sticking with them till the very end of the match. The Taipei side at one point removed all of the Indian players from the court, winning 2 extra points in the encounter. However, India steeled themselves up and in the end won by 26-25.

Major Winners

Among the major medal winners, the Indian men’s hockey team deserves special mention. They clinched their fourth Asian Games title by defeating Japan 5-1 in the final, adding another gold to India’s tally. In individual sporting events, several female athletes have made the nation proud by winning gold medals. These include Sift Kaur Samra, Palak Gulia, Parul Chaudhary, Annu Rani, Parveen Hooda, Lovlina Borgohain, and Harmilan Bains.

The Indian women’s cricket team had earlier started off the proceedings winning a historic gold medal in their first appearance at the Asian Games 2023.

In the field of archery, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Jyothi Vennam emerged victorious, each securing a gold medal in the men’s compound event and women’s individual compound event respectively. Another notable achievement was by the Indian athletics squad, which bagged 29 medals, including six gold, 14 silver, and nine bronze.

The Indian women’s recurve team secured a bronze medal in archery, while Vishal Kewat advanced to the final in Canoe slalom. The Indian women’s Kabaddi team also emerged victorious in the semifinal against Nepal, securing their place in the final.

In addition to these, several other athletes across different sports have contributed to India’s medal tally. These include weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, badminton star PV Sindhu, and archery world champions Aditi Gopichand Swami and Ojas Pravin Deotale.