India Women Beat Iran 37-34 To Retain Kabaddi Gold At Asian Games 2026

India's women's kabaddi team successfully defended its Asian Games title on Saturday, edging out Iran 37-34 in a closely fought gold medal match at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan, to claim the country's third gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games.

A Tight Contest Throughout

Unlike India's more one-sided victories earlier in the tournament, Saturday's final against Iran was a genuinely tense affair that stayed close from start to finish. Iran, appearing in the gold medal match after having eliminated Chinese Taipei 23-19 in their semifinal, matched India for large stretches of the contest rather than folding under pressure the way some of India's earlier opponents had. With the margin tight in the closing minutes, India's raiders had to dig in to protect their lead, and a decisive raid credited to a crucial defensive-turned-attacking play from one of India's key raiders proved pivotal in seeing the team over the line at 37-34.

The narrow scoreline stood in contrast to India's semifinal performance a day earlier, when the team dismantled Nepal 48-24 to book its place in the final, underlining just how much tougher Iran proved as a final-day opponent compared to the rest of India's run through the competition.

India's Continued Kabaddi Dominance

India entered the tournament as defending Asian Games champions in women's kabaddi and had progressed through the group and knockout stages without dropping a match, building momentum through comfortable wins before facing their sternest test in the final itself. The gold extends India's stronghold on the women's event at the Asiad, a competition the country has dominated since kabaddi's inclusion in the Games programme.

The win also arrived on a landmark day for Indian kabaddi at these Games, with the men's team separately taking the court against Iran later on Saturday in their own gold medal match at the same venue, giving India a shot at a rare kabaddi double on a single day of competition.

Boost To India's Medal Tally

The gold takes India's overall medal tally at the 2026 Asian Games to 27 medals by the end of the day's play, according to official Games updates, with kabaddi continuing to be one of the most reliable sources of podium finishes for the Indian contingent alongside shooting, wrestling and athletics. Saturday's play also featured other Indian medal hopefuls in action across badminton, boxing and squash, with two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu beginning her singles campaign and Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh already assured of medals in squash after reaching their respective semifinals.

For India's kabaddi programme, back-to-back Asian Games women's golds cement the sport as a marquee event for the country at multi-discipline Games, even as the sport continues to work toward wider international recognition and, potentially, a return to future Olympic conversations.

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