India’s Asian Games gold slide: 20 of 28 Hangzhou titles already lost
India is experiencing a significant decline in gold medal performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games compared to its historic 2023 Hangzhou haul. The country has failed to defend the majority of its previous titles, particularly in shooting and athletics.
Why it matters
The performance drop serves as a reality check for India's sports development programs and its aspirations to become a dominant continental sporting power.
With the Asian Games entering the final stretch, India’s declining gold medal numbers tell an uncomfortable story and offer a sharp reality check. Of the 28 golds India won in Hangzhou three years ago, 20 have already slipped away in Aichi-Nagoya, across shooting, athletics, archery, badminton, equestrian, squash and tennis. The sharpest contrast comes in individual events. In Hangzhou, India won nine individual gold medals across shooting, athletics and archery. None of those have been defended and, in some events, India was not even able to make the final rounds in the ongoing edition.In 2023, India produced a historic 106-medal haul: 28 gold, 38 silver and 40 bronze.
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