Asian Games 2022 News

India defeated defending champions Japan 2-1 in the third and fourth place classification match at 19th Asian Games to bag the bronze medal in the event. Deepika and Sushila Chanu scored a goal each for India in the match. This is the fourth time that India have won bronze medal in women's hockey at Asian Games.

Wrestler Deepak Punia became India's best-performing wrestler at the 19th Asian Games after winning a silver medal. The 24-year-old lost to 2016 Olympic gold medallist Hassan Yazdani of Iran in the final of the men's 86kg freestyle event. He bagged India's only silver medal in wrestling at 19th Asian Games. India bagged five bronze medals in wrestling at the Games.

Indian archer Ojas Deotale said he participated in the ongoing Asiad with the motive of winning a gold medal, "but after winning three gold medals, it feels as if I am in a dream". Ojas won gold medal in compound archery men's individual event. He also won gold medals in compound men’s team and compound mixed team competitions.

Reacting to Indian men's cricket team and kabaddi team winning gold medals at the ongoing Asiad, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said, "Double gold delight." "An incredible display of skill and determination. Congratulations to our champions," he stated. The cricket team defeated Afghanistan in the final while the kabaddi team won their match against Iran.

India bagged silver medals in the men's and women's chess team events at the 19th Asian Games. The Indian women's team of Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri finished second behind China. The Indian men's squad comprising Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi and Pentala Harikrishna finished second behind Iran.

Atanu Das, who along with Dhiraj Bommadevara and Tushar Prabhakar won silver medal in recurve archery at the 19th Asian Games, said, "It feels amazing." Atanu took part in 2014 and 2018 Asian Games as well. "Finally, I am not going home empty-handed. We fought like warriors and we are happy with it," he stated.

India bagged a total of 107 medals at the 19th Asian Games. India won 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals at the Games. India are just the fourth nation to cross three figures at the end of an Asiad. In the previous edition of Asian Games, India had bagged 70 medals, including 16 gold medals.

Speed skating track athlete Sanjana Bathula, who was born on June 21, 2008, is the youngest medallist for India at 19th Asian Games. The 15-year-old bagged bronze medal in women's speed skating 3,000m relay race. Meanwhile, 65-year-old Jaggy Shivdasani is the oldest medallist for India at the 19th Asian Games. He bagged silver medal in men's bridge team event.

The 19th Asian Games came to a close on October 8 (Sunday). China finished first with a total of 383 medals, including 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze medals. Japan finished second with 52 gold medals. India finished fourth with 28 gold medals. Indian men's hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh carried the Tricolour in the closing ceremony.

Aruna Tanwar, India's Para Taekwondo player, faced a foot fracture before the 2023 Asian Para Games. Despite this and a lack of crowd support at the stadium, she clinched bronze by defeating opponent Chen Tong. Aruna's journey included rehabilitation and dietary adjustments as a vegetarian athlete. She reflected on her 2020 Paralympics journey and how it helped her here.

At the Asian Para Games 2023, India dominated the javelin T46 event, winning all three medals. Sundar Singh Gurjar secured gold with a world record throw of 68.60m, while Rinku Hooda took silver at 67.08m, and Ajeet Yadav earned bronze with a 63.52m throw. The previous world record was held by Sri Lanka's Dinesh Priyantha with a throw of 67.79m.

Indian para shooter Sidhartha Babu secured a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Para Games in the R6 Mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event, setting a new Games record of 247.7. His performance earned him a spot at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Babu's journey from a motorbike accident to achieving excellence in shooting is an inspiring tale of determination.

On Day 4 of the Asian Para Games 2023, India secured 18 medals, placing them 8th in the medal tally. China maintains its top position with 393 total medals. Iran and Japan follow with 96 and 104 medals, respectively. South Korea is in 4th place, while Uzbekistan, Thailand, and Indonesia occupy the 5th-7th positions.

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra aims to improve his throwing technique, especially leg-blocking, to achieve his best performance. Despite recent successes, he hasn't reached his full potential, and hopes to surpass the 90-meter mark. He acknowledged disappointment with his 2023 results but plans a strong comeback in the coming year.

Bhavina Patel called for the need for improved accessibility for para-athletes in India. Krishna Nagar echoed the need for larger training halls for better performance while sports minister Anurag Thakur addressed efforts to improve facilities for para-athletes, including a possible Khelo India Para Games in the future.

Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra looks forward to the growth of javelin in India, being a role model to youth, and watching India's fearless athletes in action across various disciplines. Chopra expressed support for the Indian cricket team. He aims to become the first Indian to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2024.

Indian javelin thrower Sumit Antil clinched gold at the Asian Para Games, breaking the world record in the F64 category. He credited Neeraj Chopra's success at the Asian Games for his motivation and expressed pride in India's record-breaking medal haul at both the Asian Games and Asian Para Games. Sumit also thanked his coaches from Ramjas College for their support.