India Finish Fourth at Asian Games 2026 With 85 Medals: Full Tally, Golden Final Day and What Changed Since Hangzhou
India closed the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, 85 medals in all and fourth place behind China, Japan and South Korea. Nine medals came on the final day. How the tally compares with 2023, where the golds came from and what it means for LA 2028.
Indoor Track and Field - Jim Mitchell Invitational at the Armory. Photo: Steven Pisano via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
India's Asian Games ended on Sunday 4 October with a final-day rush that pushed the medal count to 85 and kept the country in fourth place on the table. "India medal tally" has been one of the most searched sports phrases in the country for two weeks, and the closing ceremony settled the numbers.
The final numbers
- Gold: 21
- Silver: 27
- Bronze: 37
- Total: 85
- Position: fourth, behind China, Japan and South Korea, and ahead of Uzbekistan
The last day alone brought nine medals, five of them gold, which is why the tally jumped so sharply in the final 24 hours.
Where the golds came from
The headline was the team sports. India won both the men's and women's gold in cricket, hockey and kabaddi, a clean sweep that had never happened at a single Asian Games before. The men's cricket team beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the final, the women's team beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs, the men's hockey team beat Malaysia 5-1 and the women's hockey team beat China 1-0 to end a 44-year wait. Both kabaddi finals were won against Iran.
Individual golds came from the usual strongholds of shooting, athletics, wrestling and archery, with a marathon silver for Sawan Barwal among the surprises. Our separate pieces cover the hockey double and the kabaddi finals in detail.
How it compares with Hangzhou 2023
Hangzhou was India's best ever Games with 107 medals, including 28 gold. Aichi-Nagoya finished lower on total medals but with a stronger set of team-sport results and two Olympic quotas from hockey. A smaller programme in some events and tougher fields in shooting account for much of the difference, according to coverage of the final day.
Why fourth place matters
Fourth behind the three East Asian powers is where India has settled over the last two editions. Closing the gap to South Korea in third would need roughly double the current gold count, which is the stated goal of the government's push towards hosting the 2036 Olympics.
What it means for LA 2028
The hockey golds matter most. Both the men's and women's teams qualified directly for the Los Angeles Olympics, avoiding the qualifier route that cost India dearly in past cycles. Cricket's return to the Olympics in 2028 makes the cricket golds a confidence marker too, although Olympic qualification for cricket works differently.
Frequently asked questions
How many medals did India win at the Asian Games 2026?
85: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.
Where did India finish in the medal table?
Fourth, behind China, Japan and South Korea.
Which sports gave India the most golds?
Team sports led the way with six golds across cricket, hockey and kabaddi, backed by shooting, athletics, wrestling and archery.
Did India win fewer medals than in 2023?
Yes. Hangzhou 2023 produced 107 medals and 28 golds. The 2026 total is 85, but it includes two Olympic quotas from hockey.
When are the next Asian Games?
The 2030 Asian Games are scheduled for Doha, Qatar.
