The 107-medal overhaul from India at the recently concluded Asian Games came in as a pleasant surprise to the fans and the fraternity. The nation finished fourth in the medal standings with 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals, its best ever finish at the Asiad.
Apart from this incredible feat, there were a handful of athletes who made heads turn as they added a variety of colours to India’s medal cabinet. Sportstar takes a look at five of those instances from Asian Games 2023:
Roshibina defies adversities to grab silver in Wushu
“ Desh ke liye jaan lagake kheloonga (I will give my life to play for gold),” said Roshibina Devi ahead of her wushu final and she gave it her all. After losing 0-2 to China’s Wu Xiaowei in the final, Roshibina took home the silver medal. However, she would not even get a proper homecoming due to ethnic conflicts back in her hometown in Manipur. The 22-year-old had won bronze at the 2018 edition.
Trying to get her opponent off the mat, local favourite Wu had an aggressive first round and began with a splendid take down of Roshibina. The Manipuri athlete tried to bounce back and got hold of Wu’s leg to push her out to the edges but was unsuccessful as round one belonged to the Chinese who had a 1-0 lead.
A watchful Wu sealed the issue with an attack on Roshibina Devi’s torso in the second round. (BACK STORY)
Equestrian dressage team’s historic gold
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Gold medalists Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Vipul Chheda Hriday, Anush Agarwalla of India celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony of the Prix St-Georges of Equestrian Dressage team event during the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on September 26, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
The Indian equestrian team of Sudipti Hajela, Divyakriti Singh, Hriday Cheda and Anush Agarwalla put an end to a 41-year wait as they clinched gold in the dressage event. Adding cherry on top, India on its way to the top beat the likes of multiple-time winner South Korea and defending champion Japan. (BACKSTORY)
Mukherjees bring home an unlikely medal
| Photo Credit:
AFP
India’s Sutirtha Mukherjee (right) and Ayhika Mukherjee (left) won bronze medal in women’s doubles at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Before the start of this edition of the Asian Games, not much was expected from the Indian table tennis contingent considering their recent performances.
However, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee stunned everyone with their win against world champions Meng Chen and Yidi Wang of China en route to the semifinal. Ayhika and Sutirtha won that tie 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9 to book their spot in the semifinals and confirmed India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in women’s doubles. The Indian pair lost in the women’s doubles semifinal against North Korea’s Cha Suyong and Pak Sugyong in a seven-game thriller. (BACK STORY)
Indian women’s Sepaktakraw spectacle
| Photo Credit:
ANI
India women’s regu team clinched its first-ever Asian Games bronze in sepaktakraw in Hangzhou, China.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
India clinched its first-ever medal in women’s sepaktakraw at the Asian Games with the regu team winning a bronze after losing to powerhouse Thailand in the semifinals in Jinhua on October 6.
The Indian women’s team of Ayekpam Maipak Devi, Oinam Chaoba Devi, Khushbu, Elangbam Priya Devi and Elangbam Leirentombi Devi lost 10-21, 13-21 in the semifinals. India had finished second in its group behind Vietnam to make it to the semifinals. (REPORT)
Roller skaters add two medals to India’s cabinet
The Indian roller skating contingent matched its best-ever performance at the quadrennial showpiece, bringing home two bronze medals. Both men and women’s team secured third place finishes in the 3000m team relay relay events and that came as a pleasant surprise to many fans.
Teenagers Karthika Jagadeeswaran and Heeral Sadhu teamed up with 29-year-old Aarathy Kasturi Raj to win India’s first-ever medal in the Asian Games speed skating category. Later, Anand Kumar Velkumar, Siddhant Kamble, and Vikram Ingale matched the women’s team’s feat at Qiantang Roller Sports Centre with a time of 4:34.861s. (REPORT)
