Total medals won by India in each sport in Asian Games history

Athletics contributed the most number of medals bagging 283 medals.

India achieved its best-ever finish in the 19th edition of Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou, China by surpassing their previous record of 70 medals won in 2018 in Jakarta. India's remarkable campaign aimed for a century of medals became successful by securing a total of 107 medals.

The inaugural edition of Asian Games was held in the Indian capital city of Delhi in 1951 and India had the honor of hosting this prestigious multi-sport event once more in 1982. The South-Asian country has a rich history in the Games. After winning 51 medals in the inaugural edition, India did not surpass the 20-medal mark for the next seven editions.

However, in 1982, when the Games returned back to the country, India reached a tally of 57 medals. Another milestone was achieved in the 2006 edition in Doha which marked the first time India secured over 50 medals in an edition not hosted in the country.

India since has consistently increased the medal count in the following editions of the Asian Games. The recently concluded edition in 2023 marks the third occasion where India has exceeded 60 medals following Guangzhou in 2010 and Jakarta in 2018.

Looking at the sports which has contributed a lot, athletics has indeed been India's most successful sport in the Asian Games. India has won more than a hundred medals in the history of the Asian Games. Track and field stars have consistently led the way with legend Milkha Singh's achievements include winning the 200m and 400m gold medals at the 1958 Asian Games.

He continued this success by securing two more gold medals in the 400m and 4x400m relay at the 1962 edition in Jakarta. Following in Singh's footsteps, PT Usha carried on the tradition of excellence in Indian athletics. At the 1986 Asian Games, she showcased her brilliance by winning four gold medals. The Olympian also set new Asian Games records in four events: 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m.

Usha's illustrious career made her the most successful Indian athlete in the history of the Asian Games with an impressive tally of 11 medals including four golds and seven silvers. In addition to athletics, wrestling, boxing and more recently, shooting have made significant contributions to India's impressive medal count at the Asian Games.

The standout sport has been kabaddi which has seen India win eight out of the nine editions since the sport debuted in 1990. Their only loss came against Iran at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.

India's performance in 2023

India's performance in the Asian Games 2023 was truly exceptional as they secured a historic total of 107 medals. Among these, they clinched an impressive 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. At the Asian Games 2023, China emerged as the undisputed leader in the medals tally by boasting an impressive 201 gold medals followed by Japan (52) and the Republic of Korea (42). It's noteworthy that only four countries managed to secure over 100 medals in Hangzhou.

Shooting emerged as the standout performer for India by securing 22 medals including an impressive seven gold medals. Athletics emerged as the highest contributor to the medal tally with six gold medals, 14 silver and nine bronze medals which is a total of 29.

The archery compound team clean-swept all five gold medals in their category which made a significant impact on India's overall performance. In the team events, both men’s and women’s cricket earned two gold medals in their maiden Asian Games campaign. The men's and women’s kabaddi team secured the gold proving their dominance in the sport.

Indian men’s hockey teams' gold medal winning run not only contributed to the medals tally but also secured India's spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics marking a historic achievement. In a historic moment, India secured their first-ever Asian Games badminton gold medal owing to the outstanding performance of the men's doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

Squash, tennis and equestrian events also played pivotal roles in India's overall success collectively contributing to the tally of 28 gold medals in Hangzhou. Alongside the medals, Hangzhou also provided the opportunity to secure Paris 2024 Olympic quotas and India made a mark by obtaining six quotas out of the available 74.

India's sports wise medals tally at Asian Games

Sport	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total Medals
Athletics	85	102	96	283
Shooting	16	30	34	80
Wrestling	11	15	39	65
Kabaddi	11	1	1	13
Tennis	10	7	17	34
Boxing	9	17	36	62
Archery	6	6	7	19
Field Hockey	5	11	7	23
Cue Sports	5	4	6	15
Equestrian	4	3	7	14
Squash	3	4	11	18
Golf	3	4	0	7
Board games	3	0	4	7
Rowing	2	7	19	28
Diving	2	1	2	5
Football	2	0	1	3
Cricket	2	0	0	2
Sailing	1	8	14	23
Badminton	1	2	10	13
Swimming	1	2	6	9
Water polo	1	1	1	3
Weightlifting	0	6	11	17
Wushu	0	2	8	10
Cycling	0	1	2	3
Volleyball	0	1	2	3
Kurash	0	1	1	2
Judo	0	0	5	5
Roller sports	0	0	4	4
Table tennis	0	0	3	3
Canoeing	0	0	2	2
Gymnastics	0	0	1	1
Taekwondo	0	0	1	1
Sepaktakraw	0	0	2	2
Chess	0	2	0	2
Bridge	0	1	0	1
Roller skating	0	0	2	2
Canoe	0	0	1	1

In conclusion, India can set an ambitious goal of finishing in the top 3 of the Asian Games medal tally in the next edition. As the nation rallies behind its athletes by supporting their dreams and endeavors the future holds great promise for India's sporting achievements and the pursuit of a top 3 in the medal table remains an inspiring and attainable objective.