The 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, could be remembered as a pivotal moment in Indian sports history. India achieved its best-ever performance at the Asian Games with a remarkable 107 medals, surpassing the previous record of 70 in 2018 by a significant margin. Among these medals, there were 28 golds, a dozen more than in 2018, and India secured a fourth-place finish, its best since 1962, trailing only behind Asian powerhouses China, Japan, and South Korea.

Beneath these impressive statistics, there were exceptional performances in various sports. For instance, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed India’s first gold in badminton men’s doubles. Parul Chaudhary’s late surge secured India’s first-ever gold in the 5000m women’s race. Dominance was displayed in the men’s javelin throw, where Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena outperformed the competition. In contrast, the women’s hockey bronze was won with grit and determination.

Cricket made its appearance at the Asian Games 2023, and India participated for the first time in both the Men’s and Women’s events, winning gold in both categories. The Women’s team defeated Bangladesh while the Men’s team defeated Afghanistan to win the Gold.

The journey began on a cool morning at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, where Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh surprised with a silver medal in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls, India’s first medal in 16 years. More rowing medals followed, marking the best performance by Indian rowers at the Asian Games. Medals also came from the shooting range, with Ramita, Mehuli Ghosh, and Ashi Chouksey securing a silver in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Team event, while teenager Namita claimed bronze in the individual event.

India’s 100th medal came symbolically in Kabaddi, a sport deeply rooted in Indian culture, as the Indian women’s team clinched gold in a thrilling match against Chinese Taipei. The men’s team later avenged their 2018 loss to Iran by winning gold.

The 107th medal came from the Indian women’s chess team, consisting of D. Harika, R. Vaishali, and Vantika Agrawal, who secured silver against South Korea, trailing only behind China. The Indian men’s chess team, comprising Vidit, Arjun, and Harikrishna P, also won silver.

Avinash Sable set an Asian Games record in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 8:19:50 seconds, breaking the previous record of 8:22:79 by a significant margin and securing India’s first-ever gold in the Men’s steeplechase event. He also won silver in the 5000m event.

Parul Chaudhary, Sable’s training partner and national record holder in the 5000m, claimed silver in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. However, her most memorable moment came in the 5000m race, where she trailed Japan’s Ririka Hironaka throughout the race and then unleashed a brilliant, tactical burst of speed in the final 30m to secure victory.

One of the most unexpected victories belonged to Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee, who pulled off a stunning upset by defeating China’s world champions Chen Meng and Wang Yidi in table tennis women’s doubles. The Mukherjees then went on to secure India’s first medal in women’s doubles, a bronze.

The post India’s historic triumph at the 2023 Asian Games: “Breaking records and defying expectations” first appeared on India Sports News.