A Successful Asian Games 2022 For India So Far, Clinching 14 Medals And Counting
Asian Games 2022 officially commenced in Hangzhou, China on September 23 amidst a flurry of excitement.
A star-studded 655 member Indian contingent is competing at the marquee event, which concludes on October 8.
The men’s volleyball team kicked-off India’s campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Cambodia. In their second group stage game, India defeated the Republic of Korea in a stunning upset, trouncing the 27th ranked nation 3-2. Unfortunately, their hunt for a medal came to an end after falling to a strong Japanese team in the next match. The men’s volleyball team eventually finished at a commendable 6th position.
Meanwhile, after suffering a 5-1 loss to China in their opening game, India’s men’s football team bounced back with a 1-0 win against Bangladesh. In their next group stage game, India drew 1-1 against Myanmar, sealing a berth in the round of 16. The ‘Blue Tigers’ will now face Saudi Arabia in an exciting knockout fixture on September 28.
Reliance Foundation’s Manika Batra, who is India’s top female paddler, participated in the women’s team event at Hangzhou 2022. The Indian women’s table tennis contingent started off with dominant victories over Singapore and Nepal, with Batra playing a crucial part in the proceedings. Sadly, Thailand bested India 3-2 in the round of 16, despite a valiant effort by the Indian paddlers. However, Manika Batra remains a contender in the mixed doubles and women’s singles events.
On September 24, India won their first medal, claiming silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event in shooting. The trio of Mehuli Ghosh, Ramita and Ashi Chouksey finished second with a total of 1886.0. Ramita later bagged her second medal of the day with a bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle event.
Rowing proved to be another source of glory with India winning three medals and taking the medal tally to five at the end of September 24.
The duo of Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh won silver in the men’s lightweight double sculls event in rowing, marking a proud moment for the army pair. India’s second medal in rowing came in the men’s pair event, with Babu Lal Yadav and Lekh Ram clinching bronze. Later, the men’s eight team also sealed the bronze medal.
On September 25, the rowing contingent continued its medal-winning spree, earning two bronze medals in the men’s four and men’s quadruple sculls events.
India’s maiden gold medal at Hangzhou 2022 came in the men’s 10m air rifle team event in shooting. Rudrankksh Patil, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Divyansh Singh Panwar topped the podium with a world record score of 1893.7. Two more shooting medals came India’s way, with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar winning bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle event, and the trio of Vijayveer Sidhu, Adarsh Singh, Anish Bhanwala also securing bronze.
However, the highlight of India’s campaign so far was the women’s cricket team claiming the Asian Games crown after beating Sri Lanka in a close final. Harmanpreet Kaur returned for the final after missing the first two games, to drive the Women in Blue to a 19-run victory, thus taking India’s tally to 11 by the end of September 25.
India won their third gold medal in Asian Games 2022 in the Equestrian Dressage Team event on September 26. The quartet of Sudipti Hajela, Hriday Vipul Chheda, Anush Gaarwalla and Divyakriti Singh, scripted history after winning India’s first equestrian gold in 41 years at the Asiad.
India's medal tally continued to rise on September 26 with two medals in sailing. Neha Thakur secured silver in the girl's Dinghy - ILCA4 event, while Eabad Ali earned bronze in the men's Windsurfer - RS:X event.
With India’s medal tally already standing at 14 (as of September 26), the nation’s impressive performance so far is just a preview of what’s to come. Stars like Neeraj Chopra, P.V. Sindhu, Bajrang Punia & many more yet to grace the Asian Games with their presence. Stay tuned for more updates.
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