Indian Women Win Gold Medals in Hockey and Boxing at Asian Games

The thirteenth day of the 2026 Asian Games was marked by golden success for India, as Indian athletes collectively won 10 medals, including 6 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze. In addition to achievements in shooting, boxing, and wrestling, the women's hockey team also secured a gold medal.

The Indian women's hockey team won the gold in the final, defeating China with a score of 1:0. This historic victory allowed the team to win a gold medal at the Asian Games after 44 years and secure a spot in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The day began with a historic gold in shooting. A trio consisting of Ankita Bhakt, Kirti Sharma, and 17-year-old Kusum Kumod defeated the four-time world champion archer from South Korea with a score of 5:3 in the final of the women's recurve division. This was India's first gold at the Asian Games. Earlier, the Indian team had beaten China 5:1 in the semi-finals. This accounted for India's fourth gold in shooting at these Games.

Kumod also demonstrated skill in the mixed recurve discipline alongside Diraj Bommadevar. Although they managed to qualify India for the final in this discipline for the first time at the Asian Games, they had to settle for silver after losing to China 3:5 in the final match.

Next, in the boxing ring, Lovlina Borgohain made her day unforgettable by winning a gold medal on her birthday. In the 75 kg weight category final, she defeated Chinese Ji Bao with a score of 5:0. Lovlina became the second Indian athlete to win gold at the Asian Games. She ended a 12-year drought in women's boxing, turning a silver she won at the previous Asian Games into gold.

Paruvin Hooda also brought another gold to India, defeating Chinese Nien-Chin Chen from Taiwan with a score of 3:2 in the 65 kg weight category. This victory is particularly important for Paruvin Hooda, as she won bronze at the previous Asian Games but later withdrew the medal due to an anti-doping rule violation related to lack of location information. Now, Paruvin has achieved an impressive comeback by winning gold in the 65 kg category.

Ankush Pangal also achieved a historic feat. He became the first Indian male boxer to win gold at the Asian Games since Amit Pangal in 2018. Thus, in one day, Indian boxing raised the flag of India three times to the top.

In wrestling, Sudhjit Kalkal achieved the most exciting victory of the day. In the men's freestyle wrestling final at 65 kg, he fought against Abdulmajid Kudiev from Tajikistan. Sudhjit, who initially trailed 2:9, made a powerful comeback, earning eight consecutive points and winning 10:9 on points. Previously, in the semi-finals, he defeated Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyoku of Japan based on a draw criterion with a score of 3:3.

The culmination of the golden day was the performance of the women's hockey team. The victory over China with a score of 1:0 in the final ended a 44-year wait. The match, played at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakimaga-hara, brought India not only gold at the Asian Games but also a ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The goal scored by Lalremasiam was decisive and secured the gold for the team.

Thus, the 13th day brought India the brilliance of six gold medals: a historic victory in shooting, three golds in boxing, a sensational comeback in wrestling with a score of 10:9, and gold in hockey after 44 years of waiting, allowing Indian sports to write many memorable chapters in a single day.

India has another good piece of news at the Asian Games: following an impressive success by the women's team, the mixed team in archery also won a gold medal, creating history.

In the mixed archery final against South Korea, India's dominance was evident from the start. The pair Chikita Taniparty and Sahil Rajesh Jadhav hit the ten ring on every arrow in the first two sets. Thanks to brilliant play in the first half of the match, India gained a confident two-point lead, leading 80-78 against Korea.

In the semi-final of the team tournament, the pair Chikita Taniparty and Sahil (Rajesh) Jadhav played a tense match against Thailand. The Indian pair demonstrated incredible composure in this fierce battle and defeated Thailand by a very narrow margin—156-155, securing their place in the final.

The Indian archers displayed aggressive play from the beginning of the competition. After taking the lead with a score of 39-37 in the first round, the pair continued to show excellent shots even under pressure. Although the Thai team tried to make a comeback, Chikita and Sahil secured India's victory with flawless shots in the closing moments.

The Indian women's cricket team once again demonstrated its dominance at the continental level, securing its second consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games. On Tuesday, in the final, the team crushed long-time rivals Sri Lanka with a score of 147 runs.

The gold medal, won by the team under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership, was India's first of the current tournament. The victory was secured by a brilliant batting performance that forced Sri Lanka to chase a record target of 217 runs.

Smriti Mandhana played brilliantly, scoring 79 runs off 45 balls, while Richa Ghosh added powerful late-over hits, taking India's score to 216 for three wickets. This set a new record for the Asian Games.

After reaching this record total, the outcome of the match became clear. All hopes for Sri Lanka rested on captain Chamari Atapattu (29 runs off 21 balls), but she could not counter the Indians. Sri Lanka capitulated, scoring only 69 runs across all overs, which took 15.4 overs, as the Indian spinners completely controlled the game against them.

Shafali Verma showed versatile play, scoring 48 runs and taking 2.3 wickets, while Dipti Sharma (3 wickets for 6 balls) and Shri Charani (2 wickets) traditionally helped the team in the final, which was not an even contest.

India was considered the clear favorite for the title and lived up to expectations, securing three confident victories throughout the competition. Similar to the Asia Cup earlier this month, Sri Lanka found itself in the losing position in the final, unable to compete with their familiar rivals.

Pakistan won the bronze medal by defeating Bangladesh with a comfortable margin of 31 runs earlier that day. Since the scenario for the Indian women's team unfolded according to plan, it was expected that the men's team would also defend its title.

The team maximized the advantages of powerplay after winning the draw. Mandhana (79 runs off 45 balls) and Shafali (48 runs off 29 balls) took the team to 59 without loss in six overs. Both batters are in excellent form since the Asia Cup, making a significant contribution to the team's success in the decisive final by building a partnership of 99 runs off 60 balls. Sri Lanka's weak bowling allowed these batters to dictate the terms of the game, with both being extremely effective against the spinners.