India at Asian Games: A storied history and why PT Usha is jewel in the crown
India have won 779 medals at the Asian Games since the inaugural edition in 1951. India finished with a record haul of 107, including 28 gold, at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
India have been a powerhouse since the Asian Games started in 1951.
Having participated in all editions of the quadrennial showpiece, India played an integral role in the establishment of the Asian Games and even hosted the inaugural edition in New Delhi.
India won 51 medals – 15 gold, 16 silver and 20 bronze – at Asian Games 1951 to finish second behind Japan (60 medals). It remains India’s best finish at the continental Games.
Swimmer Sachin Nag won the 100m freestyle event at New Delhi 1951 to become India’s first gold medallist at the Asian Games.
In the same year, Roshan Mistry became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal when she took silver in the 100m sprint at the 1951 Asian Games.
Since then, India have won 779 medals at the Asian Games, including 183 golds, 239 silvers and 357 bronze.
India have returned with a gold medal at every edition to date and are the fifth-most successful country at these Games.
Indian track and field stars have led from the front, bagging a massive 283 medals in 19 appearances at the big-ticket event.
Sprint legend Milkha Singh, unarguably the biggest name in Indian athletics, won the 200m and 400m gold at the 1958 Asian Games and followed it up with two more golds (400m and 4 x 400m relay) at the 1962 edition in Jakarta.
Then, PT Usha continued the trend of Indian athletes running away with track and field honours at the Asian Games.
Nicknamed the ‘Payyoli Express’, PT Usha set the track ablaze at the 1986 Asian Games, winning four of the five gold medals India won that year along with a silver.
A three-time Olympian, PT Usha broke the Asian Games record in four events (200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and 4 x 400m relay) at the Seoul 1986 Games.
PT Usha ended her glorious career as the most successful Indian athlete at the Asian Games, with 11 medals – four golds and seven silvers.
India’s best medal tally came at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the People's Republic of China. India won a record 107 medals, surpassing their previous-best haul of 70 from Jakarta 2018. Unsurprisingly, athletics was the most successful sport, accounting for 29 medals.
At Asian Games 2018, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the javelin throw while Dutee Chand brought home India’s first medal in the women’s 100m since PT Usha’s silver in 1982. Neeraj Chopra successfully fended off a challenge from compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena to defend his Asian Games title at Hangzhou 2023.
Apart from athletics, wrestlers, boxers and, most recently, shooters have contributed handsomely to India’s medal count at the Asian Games.
All top Indian athletes such as wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, boxers Mary Kom, Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen and Vijender Singh and shooters Abhinav Bindra and Jaspal Rana have also stood on the Asian Games podium.
India, however, have been the most dominant in kabaddi, winning eight out of the nine editions since the sport debuted in 1990. Their only loss came versus Iran at Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta.
India made its Asian Games cricket debut at Hangzhou 2023. Both the men's and women's teams returned with gold medals.