Asian Games Close in Nagoya as India Finish Fourth With 85 Medals

The 20th Asian Games came to an end in Nagoya on Sunday with a 90-minute closing ceremony at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, and India finished fourth in the medal table with 85 medals: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. It is the country's second-best tally in the history of the Games, though it falls short of the record haul from Hangzhou four years ago.

Trap shooter Neeru Dhanda carried the Indian flag at the ceremony, a fitting reward for one of the standout campaigns of the fortnight. She won two golds and a silver, including India's first individual women's trap gold at the Asian Games.

Where India Stood

China topped the standings for a 12th consecutive edition with 341 medals (169 gold, 89 silver, 83 bronze), its best showing at an Asian Games held outside its own borders. Host Japan finished second with 269 medals, and South Korea was third with 150.

India's fourth place came down to the finest of margins. Uzbekistan also won 21 golds but finished fifth after collecting two fewer silvers. Behind them came Iran and Thailand.

The Sports That Delivered

Archery was India's richest discipline in terms of headline moments, producing nine medals. Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod was the breakout star with two golds and a silver, including India's first-ever women's recurve team gold. Boxing brought three golds, among them Lovlina Borgohain's 75kg title (see our earlier coverage), and wrestling added two through Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal.

Team sports were a clear strength. India won gold in both men's and women's cricket, both kabaddi events and both hockey competitions. The women's hockey side ended a 44-year wait for the title, and the men's gold over Malaysia also secured a direct place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Pranavi Urs made history in golf with India's first women's individual gold.

Athletics produced the largest number of medals at 24, though only one of them was gold, while shooting contributed 15. India also won its first-ever Asian Games medals in soft tennis, mixed martial arts and rowing.

The Gaps

The Games also exposed weak spots. India came home without a tennis medal for the first time since 1986. Badminton, a sport where Indian players have been among the world's best in recent years, yielded only a single bronze, and squash finished without a medal. The final days were also marred by the provisional suspension of a kurash athlete in a doping probe.

Handover to Doha

Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani declared the Games closed, noting that more than 350 records had fallen, including over 50 world records, a first for the event. The OCA flag was then handed to Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, marking Doha as host of the 21st Asian Games in 2030. High jump great Mutaz Barshim featured in the handover segment.

For Indian sport, the attention now turns to converting this depth into results at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where team sports and archery look like the most promising foundations from Nagoya.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.