Asian Games 2022: India’s Historic 107-Medal Campaign in Hangzhou

The 19th Asian Games, officially titled Hangzhou 2022 but held from September 23 to October 8, 2023, marked a historic milestone for Indian sport. 

India produced its most successful campaign in the history of the continental multi-sport competition, returning from Hangzhou with a record 107 medals.

India’s final tally consisted of 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze medals, taking the country past its previous Asian Games record of 70 medals, achieved at the 2018 edition. India finished fourth in the overall medal standings, behind hosts China, Japan, and South Korea.

The record-breaking campaign was built on strong performances across a wide range of sports, with athletics and shooting emerging as the two biggest contributors to India’s medal haul.

Athletics delivered the largest number of medals for India at the Games, accounting for 29 medals in total. The tally comprised six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze medals. Several of India’s leading track and field athletes contributed to the haul. Neeraj Chopra once again stood on top of the podium, while Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary, Annu Rani and Tajinderpal Singh Toor were among the Indian athletes to win individual gold medals. India also claimed the men’s 4x400m relay title, adding another gold medal to an impressive athletics campaign.

The 29-medal haul made athletics the most productive sport for India at the Asian Games, underlining the depth of the country’s performances across track and field events.

Shooting Leads India’s Gold-Medal Count

While athletics contributed the most medals overall, shooting produced the highest number of gold medals for India. Indian shooters won 22 medals, including seven gold, nine silver and six bronze. One of the standout performances came from Sift Kaur Samra in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions, where she produced a world-record performance. The shooting team’s seven gold medals played a major role in India crossing the 100-medal mark and achieving its best-ever overall Asian Games tally.

Archery was another major contributor, with India winning nine medals, including five gold. Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam were among the standout performers. The duo completed a clean sweep of the compound titles, winning three gold medals each. India’s performance in archery added significantly to the gold-medal tally and demonstrated the country’s strength in the compound disciplines.

The badminton competition also produced a landmark moment for India. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won the men’s doubles gold medal, giving India its first Asian Games badminton gold.

Their achievement was among the notable highlights of the campaign and added another sport to India’s list of Asian Games gold-medal successes. India also won gold medals in cricket and kabaddi. The men’s hockey team secured the gold medal as well, with the victory carrying an additional significance as it secured India’s qualification for the Paris Olympics.

India’s record 107 medals came from a broad range of disciplines, with the country winning medals in 22 sports. Athletics led the way with 29 medals, followed by shooting with 22 and archery with nine. Wrestling contributed six medals, while boxing, rowing and squash each produced five. Badminton and sailing contributed three medals apiece. Chess, cricket, equestrian, hockey, kabaddi, roller sports and tennis each produced two medals.

India also won one medal each in bridge, canoeing, golf, sepak takraw, table tennis and wushu.

The sport-wise distribution was:

Athletics: 29
Shooting: 22
Archery: 9
Wrestling: 6
Boxing: 5
Rowing: 5
Squash: 5
Badminton: 3
Sailing: 3
Chess: 2
Cricket: 2
Equestrian: 2
Hockey: 2
Kabaddi: 2
Roller Sports: 2
Tennis: 2
Bridge: 1
Canoeing: 1
Golf: 1
Sepak Takraw: 1
Table Tennis: 1
Wushu: 1

India’s 107-medal haul in Hangzhou represented a significant improvement over its previous record of 70 medals at Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. The 28 gold medals were complemented by 38 silver and 41 bronze medals as India finished fourth overall. The campaign was notable not only for the final number but also for the spread of medals across multiple disciplines. From athletics and shooting to archery, wrestling, boxing, badminton, hockey, cricket and kabaddi, Indian athletes and teams contributed to a record-breaking campaign.

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The Hangzhou Asian Games therefore established a new benchmark for India at the continental level, with the country crossing the 100-medal mark for the first time and setting a new record of 107 medals.