India has set its sights on another huge medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The country wants to cross the 100-medal mark for the second time in a row after a record show at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
At Hangzhou in 2023, India won 107 medals. The total had 28 gold medals, 38 silver medals and 41 bronze medals. It was India’s best result at the Asian Games and a major step forward for Indian sport.
The result also helped India move past an old barrier. Before Hangzhou, India had never crossed 100 medals at the Asian Games. The country won 70 medals at the 2018 Games in Jakarta-Palembang. The jump from 70 to 107 showed how much Indian sport had changed over a short period.
Now, the challenge is much harder. India must prove that the success in Hangzhou was not a one-time result.
A new benchmark for Indian sport
The 107-medal haul has changed the way India looks at the Asian Games. A result that once seemed very difficult is now the new target.
India has made steady progress at the continental event over the past few editions. It won 57 medals at Incheon in 2014 and then 70 at Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. Three years later, the country reached 107 medals at Hangzhou.
That rise has also brought more pressure. Indian athletes now enter major events with higher expectations from fans, officials and the wider sporting community.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has expressed faith in the Indian team. He has said the country wants to build a strong place on the world sports stage. India also has its eye on a possible bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics.
A strong result in Aichi-Nagoya would therefore have value beyond the medal table. It could add to India’s case as a country with a large and growing sports system.
Shooting remains a major hope
Shooting is one of the main sports from which India expects a large number of medals.
At Hangzhou, Indian shooters produced seven of the country’s 28 gold medals. Shooting has become one of India’s most reliable sources of success at major multi-sport events.
This time, athletes such as Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh will carry much of the attention. Esha enters the Games in excellent form. She is the world No. 1 in the women’s 25m pistol and world No. 2 in the 10m air pistol.
The 21-year-old already has Asian Games experience. At Hangzhou, she won two individual silver medals and one team gold medal. Her recent results have also raised hopes. She has won two World Cup titles and a World Championship bronze over the past 18 months.
The competition will still be very strong. Asian shooting has several world-class athletes, so medals will not come easily.
Archery can bring more gold
Archery is another key area for India.
India had a superb result in compound archery at Hangzhou. The team swept the compound events, and hopes are high for another strong show in Japan.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam is among the main names to watch. She has already made history at the Asian Games and will be one of India’s major medal hopes in Japan.
India’s strength in archery gives the team a chance to collect several medals. The pressure, however, will be high because expectations have grown after the success at Hangzhou.
Athletics must play a big role
Athletics was one of India’s biggest medal sources at the last Asian Games.
The athletics team won 29 medals at Hangzhou. That made it a central part of India’s record total.
India will want another strong result from the track and field team in Aichi-Nagoya.
There is, however, one major absence. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will miss the Games because of a torn ligament. Chopra had hoped to chase a third straight Asian Games gold medal, but his injury has ended that chance.
His absence is a major loss because he has been one of India’s biggest stars in world athletics. The rest of the team will now have to take on a greater share of the medal burden.
Cricket carries huge expectations
Cricket will also have a special place in India’s medal plans.
India won both cricket gold medals at Hangzhou. The men’s team are now T20 world champions, while the women’s team recently won the Asia Cup in Dubai.
That form has raised hopes that India can again take both cricket gold medals in Japan. Missing either title would be a major disappointment for a country with such strong cricket teams.
The Games will also have another important cricket story. Japan will face India in a T20 match on September 22 in Sano. It will be the first match between Japan and an ICC full member.
For Japan, the match is more than just a cricket game. The country hopes to use the event to help the sport grow and to strengthen its ties with India.
Hockey, kabaddi and squash add more hope
India also has strong medal hopes in hockey, kabaddi, squash, wrestling and weightlifting.
Both men’s and women’s hockey teams are expected to fight for gold. The women’s side had a strong World Cup result in August, where it finished fifth as the best Asian team. That result has added confidence before the Asian Games.
Kabaddi and squash have also given India medals at past major events. Both sports remain important parts of the country’s medal plan.
Wrestling is another sport where India expects a solid result. The country has a long record of success in wrestling at the Asian Games, and several young athletes will get a chance to make their mark.
Mirabai Chanu has a personal goal
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will enter the Asian Games with a very personal target.
The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist has won three Commonwealth Games gold medals, but she has never won an Asian Games medal. Injuries and poor form affected her two earlier attempts.
Now fully fit, the 32-year-old hopes to change that record in the 49kg category.
Chanu knows the task will be difficult. Asia has some of the strongest lifters in the world, and the competition can feel close to an Olympic field.
A medal in Japan would complete a major part of her career record.
India faces a difficult test
India has many strong medal chances, but a repeat of 107 medals will not be easy.
The absence of Neeraj Chopra removes one major gold hope. Several other athletes also face tough opponents from China, Japan, South Korea and other major Asian sporting nations.
Aquatics remains another area where India has fewer medal chances compared with sports such as shooting and athletics.
Still, the overall Indian team has more depth than before. New athletes have joined established stars, which gives the country several possible routes to the medal table.
A chance to prove Hangzhou was no fluke
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will offer India a clear test.
A total of 107 medals at Hangzhou created a new standard. Now India wants to show that it can remain above the 100-medal mark.
Shooting, athletics and archery could provide a large share of the medals. Cricket and hockey could bring gold. Kabaddi, squash, wrestling and weightlifting could add more medals to the total.
The target is clear: India wants another 100-plus medal haul.
If the country reaches that mark again, it will show that the success at Hangzhou was not just a special moment. It will show that Indian sport has built a stronger base and can compete with Asia’s best on a regular basis.
For the athletes, the task starts with one event at a time. For India, the bigger goal is much larger — to turn a record into a new normal.
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