Arecord haul of 107 medals last time in Hangzhou has laid the stage for a bigger hunt this time for India as the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games officially begin today.
Though India will be participating in 36 sporting disciplines, The Telegraph narrows it down to 10 where the nation’s medal prospects are the brightest.
Archery: Nine medals at the last edition of the Asian Games in Hangzhou have raised expectations. With some familiar names like Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das missing from the squad this time, the onus will be on Dhiraj Bommadevera and Ankita Bhakat in recurve archery. The compound team will have the experience of Jyothi Surekha Vennam.
Athletics: No Neeraj Chopra, but India can still expect a good show from its track and field athletes. The target will of course be to cross the 30-medal mark as the likes of Avinash Sable, Jyothi Yarraji, Parul Choudhary, Murali Sreeshankar, Shaili Singh and the relay teams will be eager to prove their worth at the continental level.
Badminton: The competition will be tough, with most of the powerhouses in the sport being Asian countries. But the Indian shuttlers have come a long way and can pose serious challenges to the top contenders. PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will lead the charge in the singles, while the women’s doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are the latest stars of Indian badminton.
Boxing: Sachin Siwach is perhaps India’s best bet among the men for a boxing medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. India’s women boxers appear to be better placed to fetch a few medals for the country. Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Priya Ghanghas – all are serious medal contenders.
Cricket: It will take huge upsets for India to not win cricket medals at the men’s and women’s competitions. The women have already reached the semi-finals and should overpower Bangladesh for a place in the final. The men’s team is packed with T20 stars and they will be the favourites for gold.
Hockey: The men’s hockey team disappointed in the recent World Cup, finishing 8th. They will be hungry to regain pride with a superlative showing at the Asian Games. The women’s team will be on a high after their 5th place finish at the World Cup. There will be added motivation because of the fact that a gold medal-finish at the Asian Games means a direct qualification berth for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Kabaddi: India are the defending champions in both the men’s and women’s kabaddi and will look for another golden double this time. But the competition has become tougher with every edition. While Iran pose a tough challenge in the men’s section, the women had to fight hard before overcoming Taiwan 26-25 in the final last time.
Shooting: Last time, the Indian shooters had bagged 22 medals, including seven gold. This time too, it’s a strong squad, though China will once again be their biggest rivals. Be it rifle, pistol or shotgun, the Indians are expected to lead the show in Aichi-Nagoya. Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh, Elavenil Valarivan, Rudrankksh Patil and Aishwary Tomar will be the key shooters for India.
Squash: Underrated, but India did extremely well, winning five medals, including two gold, at the last edition of the Asian Games. This time too, the expectations will be there, with the contingent being led by Anahat Singh, the recently crowned world junior champion.
Wrestling: India won six medals in 2023, but didn’t get a gold. This time, Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat (57kg), world U-23 champion Sujeet Kalkal (65kg) and two-time World Championships medallist Antim Panghal (53kg) will be strong contenders for the yellow metal.