Asian Games 2026: RF athletes Lovlina Borgohain, Yashdeep Bhoge lead India's medal rush on Friday
Lovlina Borgohain won boxing gold in the women's 75kg category, while Yashdeep Bhoge helped India to silver in the men's recurve archery team event.
Reliance Foundation (RF) athletes Lovlina Borgohain and Yashdeep Bhoge were central to India's medal rush at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday, with Lovlina punching a boxing gold and Yashdeep contributing to the men’s recurve archery team’s silver.
Lovlina claimed the women's 75kg title, beating China's Bao Ziyi 5-0 by unanimous decision. It was a maiden Asian Games gold for the Indian, who upgraded her Hangzhou 2022 silver and became only the second Indian woman boxer, after Mary Kom, to win gold at the continental stage.
Yashdeep, meanwhile, combined with Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan in the men's recurve team event to bag silver.
After an inspired run, which saw them beat China and Iran, the trio went down 1-5 to the Republic of Korea in the final to settle for silver.
India add gold and multiple medals
History was made in the women's recurve team archery event, where Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and Kumkum Mohod beat South Korea 5-3 for India's first-ever Asian Games gold in the discipline, ending the Koreans' stranglehold over the title, which lasted seven editions.
The trio had earlier downed China 5-1 in the semis. Kumkum then returned with Dhiraj for recurve mixed team silver, the pair losing 5-3 to China after a 5-3 semi-final win over Japan.
India's boxers, meanwhile, struck thrice. After Lovlina, Parveen Hooda edged Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-Chin - a Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medallist and former world champion- 3-2 by split decision for women's 65kg gold.
Ankush Panghal blanked South Korea's Kim Minseong 4-0 for the men's 80kg crown.
On the mat, Sujeet Kalkal produced the day's great escape, recovering from 2-9 down to edge Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 for the men's freestyle 65kg gold.
The Indian women's hockey team struck gold too, beating China 1-0 in the final - courtesy of a 10th-minute Lalremsiami strike - to reclaim the Asian Games title after 44 years and seal an LA 2028 Olympic berth.
Two bronzes rounded off the haul, with Nethra Kumanan finishing third in the women's dinghy (ILCA 6) sailing event and the men's sepaktakraw quadrant team confirming a third-place finish after losing to hosts Japan in the semi-finals.
The Indian team had earlier topped Group A with three wins to assure themselves of a podium finish.
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