Top five most successful Indian athletes in Asian Games history

Only one Indian athlete has won more than 10 medals at the Asian Games

At the Asian Games, Indian athletes face the continent’s toughest competition, making every medal a significant and hard-earned achievement.

While reaching the podium is a significant feat, a select group of Indian sporting icons have gone a step further, winning multiple medals and etching their names into the Games’ history.

Over the years, these athletes have set remarkable benchmarks for Indian sport through sustained excellence and standout performances on the continental stage.

With several records to their names, they remain among the most successful representatives India has produced at the Games. Here’s a look at the top five most successful Indian athletes in Asian Games history.

Most successful Indian athletes in Asian Games

5. Parduman Singh Brar (Athletics): 5 medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

Parduman Singh Brar was an early pioneer of Indian athletics at the Asian Games and made his mark by winning several medals at the continental level. During the 1954 Manila Games, he competed in the men’s shot put and discus throw and won gold medals in both.

At the 1958 Tokyo Games, Brar produced a memorable campaign, winning gold in the men’s shot put and adding a bronze in the discus throw. He returned to the podium at the 1962 Jakarta Games, securing silver in the discus throw to complete his Games medal tally.

4. Jyothi Surekha (Archery): 5 medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

Jyothi Surekha’s Asian Games adventure started in 2014, when she won a bronze medal in the women’s team compound event. In the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Games, she won a silver medal in the women’s team compound event.

However, she etched her name into the history books at the Hangzhou Games, producing a remarkable campaign that yielded three gold medals in the individual, women’s team and mixed team compound events. She is expected to move up in this list with the upcoming Games campaign in Japan.

3. Jaspal Rana (Shooting): 8 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

Jaspal Rana is India’s most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history, but at the Asian Games, he ranks third among the country’s most successful competitors.

The former Indian shooter won his first gold at the 1994 Hiroshima Games in the 25m centre-fire pistol. The other three gold medals came at the 2006 Doha Games in 25m events. Rana also won two silver and two bronze medals in the 25m events at the Asian Games.

Related: List of all Olympic medallists who will represent India at Asian Games 2026

2. Leander Paes (Tennis): 8 medals (5 gold, 3 bronze) 

Former tennis doubles icon Leander Paes won eight medals in five Asian Games editions between 1990 and 2006. Paes won the Men’s Team gold in 1994.

Later, he teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi to win two men’s doubles golds (in 2002 and 2006) and once with Gaurav Natekar in 1994. Meanwhile, in 2006, he also won the mixed doubles gold medal alongside Sania Mirza. The remaining three medals were bronze.

1. PT Usha (Athletics): 11 medals (4 gold, 7 silver)

PT Usha is the most decorated Indian athlete in Asian Games history. She started her medal-winning spree in New Delhi in 1982, securing silver in the 100m and 200m events.

However, her 1986 Games campaign made her an icon in Indian athletics. She captured four gold medals and a silver in Seoul. In the subsequent edition, she won three silver medals before her final Games medal came in 1994.

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