What is India's best-ever finish in World Games? All you need to know

Prakash Padukone won India’s first medal in this event.

India has secured a total of seven medals, including one gold, two silver, and four bronze medals at the World Games since the 1981 edition.

India’s best finish in the prestigious event came at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia, when Aditya Mehta secured a gold medal in men’s singles snooker. With the gold medal, India finished 37th at the 2013 Cali Games medal tally

This remains India’s most successful performance to date at the World Games. Notably, the 2013 World Games programme featured 32 official sports and four invitational sports, including Kudo.

For the unversed, the World Games are similar to the Olympics, but for sports that aren’t part of the Olympic Games, taking place every four years, usually one year after the Summer Olympic Games.

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The first edition of the World Games was held in 1981 in Santa Clara, California, United States. While the 12th edition is currently being held in Chengdu, China, in August 2025, it features 34 sports, 60 disciplines, and 253 medal events. Team India has sent a strong contingent for the event, hoping to return with their best-ever medal haul.

Looking at the details of the other five medals won by India at the World Games, Sumita Laha won the silver medal in powerlifting at the World Games held in Karlsruhe, West Germany, in 1989.

India won four medals at the event

Moreover, they won four bronze medals – one in mixed team compound archery, one each in men’s singles badminton, powerlifting, and Men’s compound archery. Prakash Padukone secured the bronze medal at the 1981 Games in Santa Clara, California, United States.

Additionally, at the Karlsruhe Games in West Germany in 1989, Indian powerlifter Rekha Mal secured a bronze medal in the women’s lightweight powerlifting category with a total lift score of 336.04 kg.

The Indian mixed team, comprising Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, secured a bronze medal in compound archery at the Birmingham Games in 2022, defeating Andrea Becerra & Miguel Becerra of Mexico by 157–156.

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