PTC Web Desk: India have won their 21st gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the men’s hockey team defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final.
The victory also secured India a ticket to the 2028 Olympic Games.
India’s captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring in the 11th minute, converting a penalty corner. Jugraj Singh then doubled India’s lead in the 23rd minute, also finding the net from a penalty corner.
Malaysia responded in the 14th minute through a field goal from Shello Silverius, keeping the contest alive. India, however, took control in the second half. Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke in the 42nd minute to make it 3-1 before Shilanand Lakra scored a field goal in the 54th minute.
Harmanpreet completed the scoring three minutes from the final whistle, converting another penalty corner in the 57th minute to seal a convincing 5-1 victory for India.
The gold in men’s hockey added to India’s strong showing on Saturday, with the country also winning gold medals in men’s cricket, archery, golf and wrestling.
With 21 gold medals and 85 medals overall, India moved into fourth place in the Asian Games medal standings.
The hockey triumph was particularly significant as the Asian Games gold also earned India qualification for the 2028 Olympics, giving the Indian men’s team a direct route to the Games.
Other medals of the day
Wrestling: Aman Sehrawat beat North Korea’s Han in a tense final. He led 6-1 early, but Han fought back to lead 7-6. Sehrawat answered with a four-point move, and a review sought by Han was rejected, giving him another point. He held on to the lead until the end. It is India’s second wrestling gold after Sujeet Kalkal’s.
Cricket: India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s final, scoring 211/6 and restricting Pakistan to 192/6. Hasan Nawaz scored a brave 96 for Pakistan, but it was not enough. Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube played key roles with the bat. With the women’s team having already won, India now has gold in both cricket events.
Golf: Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games golf gold, finishing at 15-under 265, one shot clear. She recovered from a triple bogey on the third hole with three later birdies. It is India’s first golf gold since Shiv Kapur in 2002. Urs, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar also won team silver behind China.
Archery: Neeraj Chauhan won bronze in men’s individual recurve, beating fellow Indian Dhiraj Bommadevara. India’s archers finished with five golds, two silvers and two bronzes in total.