Asian Games 2018: Track glory to Kabaddi shocker, India's hits and misses

While India won a gold for the first time in heptathlon and Javelin throw, it also had some disappointing finishes in events like Kabaddi and Hockey

The Indian contingent represented by 804 athletes and officials ended its Asian Games 2018 campaign on September 1 with 69 medals in total placing India at the 8th spot in the medals tally. With 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals, India has posted its highest ever medal count, going past the previous record of 65, set in 2010 at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou. Apart from bettering its gold medal tally from the previous Asian Games at Incheon, India has also equalled the gold record of 15 set 67 years ago in New Delhi, that is the first Asian Games in 1951.

Asian Games 2018 was a roller-coaster ride for Indian athletes and sports fans alike. From an extremely successful Athletics outing with 19 overall medals, which is second only to 31 in 1951 games, to an anti-climatic finish in Kabaddi, India witnessed a whole lot of joyous as well as moments of disappointment throughout these games in Jakarta, Indonesia. While India marked some historic moments at the Asian Games 2018 with its first medals in a number of events, it lost out on a couple of opportunities in events where the country has dominated over the years. Here's a list of India's hits and misses at Asian Games 2018:

The hits

1. Athletics: With 7 gold, 10 silver, and 2 bronze medals, Indian athletes ran a dream-run at the 18th Asian Games. This is India's second best Athletics performance after 1951. The medals include some firsts, such as Neeraj Chopra's gold in the Javelin throw and Swapna Barman's heptathlon gold. Indian athletes also brought home some long-awaited medals such as Arpinder Singh's gold in the triple jump where India won a gold after 48 years, and Dutee Chand's silver in 100m which came after a gap of 20 years. Indian women also continued with their dominance in the 4x400m relay where they finished as champions for the fifth consecutive time. India's gold medal tally in the track and field events is its third-best as it had to settle for a couple of silver medals in a number of events by small margins. 

2. Rowing: The team of Sawarn Singh, Bhakanal Dattu Baban, Om Prakash and Sukhmeet Singh won India its second-ever Asian Games gold medal in rowing when they finished first in the final of the men's quadruple sculls event with a timing of 6:17.13. Apart from this, India won three bronze medals in the sport.

3. Shooting: Before India began its historic run in the track and field events, Shooting was the sport that mainly propelled India's medal tally forward. With 2 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, Indian shooters put on a decent show at the Asian Games 2018.

4. Bridge: As the sport made its debut in the games, India bagged an unexpected gold in the men's pair event on Saturday to take India's gold tally to 15. India also won a bronze medal each in men's team and mixed team events.

5. Sailing: With a history of not being too successful in the sport, Indian sailors managed to bring home a silver and two bronze.

6. Boxing: Other boxers failing to make a mark and Vikas Krishnan's unfortunate injury cannot downsize Amit Panghal's win over Dusmatov Hasanboy of Uzbekistan, a Rio Olympics gold medallist, to clinch the men's light fly (49kg) gold for India. This is only the 8th gold medal in Boxing for India at the Asian games.

The misses

1. Kabaddi: Dominating the sport for more than two decades at the Asian Games and winning back to back seven gold medals in the event, Indian men failed to go past the Iranian hurdle this time around. The team suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of South Korea and was again defeated in the semifinal by Iran. The men's Kabaddi team missed out on gold for the first time at the Asian Games since the sport was first introduced in 1990 games. The women's team too, settled for a silver after two consecutive gold medals as it was defeated in the final, again at the hands of mighty Iran.

2. Hockey: India had a dominant run in hockey in both men's and women's events throughout the tournament with some historic wins, such as India's thrashing of Hong Kong with the scoreline of 26-0. But both the teams slipped inches away from the finishing line with men's team losing to Malaysia in the semis on penalty shootout and women's team going down 1-2 against Japan in the final. India settled for a bronze and a silver where 2 golds seemed assured. 

3. Wrestling: Even though Vinesh Phogat became the first Indian female wrestler to win a gold at the Asian games and the fact that Bajrang Punia opened India's gold medal account at the Asian Games 2018, Indian wrestlers put on a below-par performance at the games as veteran Sushil Kumar was eliminated from the very first round and Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was unable to secure a bronze in her repechage bout. A lot was expected from the wrestlers after their successful campaign at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

Not so lucky

1. Archery: Both Indian men's team and women's team lost to South Korea in the finals of the compound team events and had to settle for a silver. In a neck on neck match in the women's final, Indian team went on from leading in the first set to losing out on gold with just 3 points on the final score (228-231). Similarly. the defending champions in the men's compound event, India lost to South Korea in the final which went on for a shoot-off.

2. Squash: India looked a potential candidate for a gold in the men's and women's team event but had to remain content with a bronze and a silver. Fans expected a gold from Indian women who beat Malaysia, the most dominant nation in the sport, in the semifinals but the team could not defeat Hong Kong, China in the final. Indian men too, missed the golden opportunity as they lost in the semifinals.