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The 2023 Asian Games concluded on October 8 in Hangzhou, China. India returned from the middle kingdom with an unprecedented 107 medals (28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze), which is a record haul for the nation. It has broken the record of 70 medals won last time in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Several athletes displayed exemplary performances in their quest to win medals and bring home glory. Sports like shooting, athletics and javelin especially shone bright amidst strong competition from elite sporting nations like China, Japan and Korea.
In the medal table, India is placed fourth overall after leader People's Republic of China (383), Japan (188 with 52 golds) and Republic of Korea (190 with 42 golds).
While Asian Games records and world records were broken by athletes like shooter Sift Kaur Sharma, several members of the Indian contingent also returned with unprecedented feats for the nation. Let us look at some of the firsts for Indian athletes at the Asian Games.
Indian athletes' performance at the Asian Games
ATHLETICS
Avinash Sable broke the Asian Games record for the fastest run in the men's 3000m steeplechase. The Maharashtrian finished his race in 8:19:50 seconds, which beat the previous record by 2 minutes and 29 seconds.
Sable also holds the national record for fastest run in the event, achieved in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. With the win, he became the first Indian to win gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the Asian Games.
Parul Chaudhary also became India's first women's gold medallist in the 5000m race, when she beat Japan's Ririka Hironaka. Her 15:14.75 run led her to the top of the podium; a gold medal in addition to the silver she won in the 3000m steeplechase. She became India's first women's gold medallist in the 5000m race.
In women's javelin, Annu Rani from Uttar Pradesh launched the javelin 62.92m long, which was a season-best and secured the gold medal for her. With the win, she became the first Indian woman to win gold in the event.
BADMINTON
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy from Andhra Pradesh and Chirag Shetty from Mumbai combined to win India's first men's double gold at the Asian Games. They defeated South Korea's Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho in the finals and added a gold to the silver medal won by the men's team in badminton.
TABLE TENNIS
West Bengal buddies Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee lost in the semifinals in a close contest to North Korea. However, their best performance came in the bronze medal match, where they trounced Chen Meng and Yidi Wang of China. The Chinese pair are world champions and this win was historic for India as it was the first in the women's event.
SHOOTING
Several athletes etched their names in the history books with exemplary performances. Manisha Keer, Rajeshwari Kumari, and Preeti Rajak won silver in women's skeet - a first for India at the Asian Games.
Anantjeet Singh Naruka also provided the nation's first-ever silver medal in men's skeet individual event. The best was preserved for 22-year-old Sift Kaur Samra, who won gold in women's 50m rifle 3 position event - unprecedented for India - and broke the world record in the final.
EQUESTRIAN
Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Vipul Hriday Chheda and Anush Agarwalla combined to secure India's first-ever gold in dressage at the Asian Games. A long awaited result has been achieved after 41 years. Anush Agarwalla added to his tally with a bronze medal in the individual dressage event.
SAILING
Tamil Nadu's Vishnu Saravanan provided India's first medal in the men's dinghy ILCA-7 event at the Asian Games with a bronze win.
SEPAKTARAW
The regu team, consisting of Priya Devi Elangbam, Chaoba Dev Oinam, Maipak Devi Ayekpam, Khushbu and Bi Devi Elangbam, secured a bronze, which is India's first medal in women's sepaktaraw.
GOLF
Aditi Ashok secured silver for India, thus becoming the first Indian to win a medal in gold at the Asian Games.
The Asian Games have been a massive success for the Indian contingent, and reasons vary from increased attention given to grassroots development and various government initiatives. The progress is there for all to see, and many Indian fans will hope that the performances will give the athletes a boost heading into the Paris Olympics.
