India will aim to increase its medal tally from that of 2018 at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8.
The Indian contingent registered its highest-ever medal haul at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, winning 70 across disciplines – 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze. It also happens to be India’s highest gold-medal tally at the Games.
Here is the list of gold medallists who stood atop the podium for India:
Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put)
India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor in action at the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: AP
Shot put thrower Tajinderpal Singh Toor clinched the gold medal and set a new Games record with a throw of 20.75m at the 2018 Asian Games on August 25.
Tajinderpal was the favourite in the event, opening with a 19.96m effort. Although that would have been enough to give him the gold, he bettered his mark in two more rounds, with his fifth throw of 20.75m breaking the previous Games record of Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Abdulmajeed (20.57m) set in 2010. It also saw him break Om Prakash Singh’s national mark (20.69m, 2012).
Manjit Singh (men’s 800m)
Gold medallist Manjit Singh of India celebrates on the podium during men’s 800m medal ceremony at the Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Manjit Singh upstaged pre-race favourite and compatriot Jinson Johson to win gold in the men’s 800m event in a 1-2 finish for India on August 28, 2018.
The then 28-year-old registered his personal best of 1:46.15 seconds to win his first major international medal.
Jinson, who smashed legendary Sriram Singh’s 42-year-old 800m national record in June during the 2018 National Inter-State Athletics Championships, finished second in 1:46.35 seconds. He holds the national record with a time of 1:45.65 seconds.
Jinson Johnson (men’s 1500m)
Jinson Johnson of India celebrates victory. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Jinson Johnson claimed the gold medal in the men’s 1500m event at the 2018 Asian Games on August 30. Manjit Singh, the 800m champion two days earlier, finished fourth with a timing of 3:46.57s. Johnson clocked 3:44.72s to claim the top honours.
The Kerala runner set the 1500m national record a year later on September 1 at the ISTAF Berlin event, clocking 3:35.24s for the silver and bettering his own NR of 3:37.62s.
Neeraj Chopra (men’s javelin throw)
Neeraj Chopra of India in action at the 2018 Asian Games. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to win an Asian Games gold medal as he shattered his own (then) national record (87.43m) by clearing a distance of 88.06m on August 27.
Chopra’s gold is only the second medal India has won in javelin throw at the Asian Games after Gurtej Singh’s bronze in 1982 in New Delhi.
The then 20-year-old’s winning throw came in his third attempt. He began with 83.46m and fouled off the second attempt.
Chopra, who scripted history by giving independent India its first athletics medal at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020, set a new national record at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2022 with a throw of 89.30m.
Arpinder Singh (men’s triple jump)
Asian Games gold medallist Arpinder Singh. | Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
Arpinder Singh clinched India’s first men’s triple jump gold in 48 years at the 2018 Asian Games on August 29.
He produced his best jump of 16.77 in his third attempt, well below his personal best of 17.17m achieved at the 2014 National Inter-State Championships in Lucknow.
India’s last Asian Games gold medalist in men’s triple jump was Mohinder Singh Gill in 1970.
Swapna Barman (women’s heptathlon)
Gold medallist Swapna Barman of India celebrates during the medal ceremony of the women’s heptathlon at Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Swapna Barman created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold on August 29, 2018.
Barman, born with six toes on each foot , achieved the feat despite a toothache. The then 21-year-old logged 6026 points from the seven events competed over two days.
En route to the title, she topped the high jump (1003 points) and javelin throw (872 points) events and finished second-best in shot put (707 points) and long jump (865 points). Her weakest events were 100m (981 points, 5th position) and 200m, in which she finished seventh with 790 points. She finished fourth in the 800m run, the last of the seven-event competition.
Women’s 4x400m relay team
Women’s 4x400m relay team celebrates after winning the gold medal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
India’s 4x400m women’s relay team clinched its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games on August 30, 2018.
The women’s quartet of Hima Das, M.R. Poovamma, Saritaben Gayakwad and Vismaya Velluva Koroth clocked 3 minutes and 28.72 seconds to claim the gold.
Bahrain (3:30.61s) and Vietnam (3:33.23s) took the silver and bronze, respectively.
India has been bagging the top honour in the event since the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
4x400m mixed relay team
The Indian team in action during the mixed 4x400m relay at the Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Indian 4x400 mixed relay team had won the silver at the 2018 Asian Games on August 30, 2018, but the medal was later upgraded to gold in July 2020 after Bahrain was disqualified with Kemi Adekoya being handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for failing a dope test.
The quartet of Mohammed Anas, M.R. Poovamma, Hima Das and Arokia Rajiv had finished second behind Bahrain with a timing of 3:15.7s in the event, which was introduced at the 2018 Games.
Amit Panghal (49kg men’s boxing)
India’s Amit Panghal gestures after winning against Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov during the Men’s light fly (46-49kg) boxing final bout at the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: PTI
Boxing champ Amit Panghal claimed gold for India against Hasanboy Dustamov in the 49kg boxing final at the 2018 Asian Games. The 22-year-old Armyman’s title was India’s lone gold in boxing in Jakarta and only the country’s eighth in the sport at the Asiad.
Saurabh Chaudhary (men’s 10m air pistol)
India’s Saurabh Chaudhary shoots in the final round of the 10m air pistol men’s final during the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: AP
Saurabh Chaudhary, then 16, became only the fifth Indian shooter to claim a gold in Asian Games history, beating a field of multiple world and Olympic champions in the 10m air pistol final.
The field also included former World Champion Tomoyuki Matsuda of Japan and Chaudhary’s compatriot Abhishek Verma.
Rahi Sarnobat (women’s 25m pistol)
Gold medallist shooter Rahi Sarnobat poses after the medal ceremony of women’s 25m pistol event during the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: PTI
Rahi Sarnobat won gold in the women’s 25m pistol category. In what was India’s second gold medal in shooting, Sarnobat defeated Thailand’s Naphaswan Yangpaiboon in a shoot-out for the gold medal.
Sarnobat became the first woman to win gold in shooting at the Asiad.
Bajrang Punia (65kg men’s wrestling)
India’s Bajrang Punia gestures after winning men’s freestyle wrestling (65kg) finals against Japan’s Daichi Takatani at the Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: PTI
Bajrang Punia was the proud winner of India’s 140th Asiad gold in the 65kg freestyle category with a 11-8 scoreline, the first of the edition.
He reiterated his credentials as the brightest spark in the next generation of Indian wrestling and an able successor to Yogeshwar Dutt.
Vinesh Phogat (50kg women’s wrestling)
India’s Vinesh Phogat reacts as she celebrates after winning the gold medal in women’s freestyle 50 kg wrestling at Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: AP
Vinesh Phogat created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal at the Asian Games, brushing aside her rivals with remarkable ease in the 50kg category.
A 6-2 win over Japan’s Yuki Irie helped her achieve this feat.
Bridge men’s pair
Bridge players Pranab Bardhan (R) and Shibnath De Sarkar with their gold medals at the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: PTI
Pranab Bardhan and Shibnath De Sarkar won the men’s pair gold in the debut sport of bridge at the Asian Games. The 60-year-old Pranab and the 56-year-old Shibhnath finished at the top after scoring 384 points in the finals.
The Chinese pair of Lixin Yang and Gang Chen won silver with a score of 378 and the Indonesian combination of Henky Lasut and Freddy Eddy Manoppo bagged bronze with a score of 374.
Men’s quadruple sculls
Gold medallists in Indian rowing: Men’s team members Sawarn Singh, Bhokanal Dattu, Om Prakash, and S Singh pose for a photo after the medal ceremony for the Men’s Quadruple Sculls event at the 18th Asian Games. | Photo Credit: PTI
The Indian team comprising Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh clocked 6:17.13 to win the gold medal in men’s quadruple sculls.
Host Indonesia (6:20.58) and Thailand (6:22.41) were placed second and third, respectively.
Tennis men’s doubles
Gold medallists Rohan Manchanda Bopanna and Divij Sharan of India celebrate with their medals at the Asian Games 2018. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan notched up their maiden men’s tennis doubles gold medal at the Asian Games, dominating the final clash with a thoroughly clinical performance.
Bopanna and Sharan defeated Aleksander Bublik and Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-4 in 52 minutes.
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