Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], October 2 (ANI): India produced a stunning six-gold haul on the penultimate day of the Asian Games on Friday, with the women’s hockey team, three boxers, an archer and wrestler Sujeet Kalkal powering the country’s late surge up the medal table. The haul lifted India to fifth place with 76 medals, 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze.
India have won more medals overall than fourth-placed Uzbekistan, who have 65, but trail them by four gold medals.The biggest moment came in women’s hockey, where India defeated defending champions China 1-0 to claim their first Asian Games gold in the sport since 1982. Lalremsiami scored the decisive goal in the 10th minute with a superb reverse-stick strike, but India had to withstand relentless pressure from China for the remainder of the contest.
Goalkeeper Bichu Devi and the Indian defence produced a determined display, repeatedly throwing themselves in the way of attacks to preserve their slender advantage and deny China an equaliser.The triumph also secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a key objective for coach Sjoerd Marijne and his side.
Indian boxing enjoyed its most successful Asian Games campaign in terms of gold medals, with Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal all finishing on top of the podium.Lovlina marked her 29th birthday in style, defeating China’s Ziyi Bao 5-0** in the women’s 75kg final to improve on the silver medal she won at the previous edition.
Parveen followed with a hard-fought 3-2 split-decision victory over Chinese Taipei’s Paris Olympic bronze medallist Chen Nien-chin in the women’s 65kg final to claim gold.Ankush completed India’s golden hat-trick with victory in the men’s 80kg final, becoming the first Indian male boxer since Amit Panghal in 2018 to win Asian Games gold.
The three gold medals took India’s boxing tally to six, with Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg) adding bronze medals. India’s previous best overall boxing haul at the Asian Games came at Guangzhou 2010, where the team won nine medals — two gold, three silver and four bronze.Lovlina and Parveen also joined MC Mary Kom as Indian women boxers to have won Asian Games gold.
Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the Games to clinch gold in the men’s 65kg category. Sujeet began his campaign with a 13-3 technical superiority victory over Afghanistan’s Sayed Omar Zazai before dispatching Iran’s Abbas Ebrahimzadehsavadkouhi by technical superiority without conceding a single point.In the semifinal, he faced Japan’s Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka and prevailed 3-3 on criteria in a closely fought bout.
The final against Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev appeared to be slipping away when Sujeet found himself trailing 2-9. Refusing to surrender, the Indian launched a remarkable fightback, using his speed and technique to score eight unanswered points.He first reduced the deficit to 8-9 before producing a crucial takedown with around 20 seconds remaining.
Sujeet then held firm in the closing moments to complete a stunning 10-9 victory and secure the gold medal.India’s women’s recurve archery team kick-started the day’s gold rush with a historic 5-3 victory over 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the final.Ankita Bhakat, Kirti Sharma and 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in challenging, windy conditions to produce a composed performance and secure a landmark triumph. The victory earned India its maiden Asian Games gold in the women’s recurve team event.
India also added to its medal haul in sailing and sepaktakraw on a highly productive day. Nethra Kumanan secured bronze in the women’s dinghy event, while Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma finished third in the women’s skiff event. India’s men’s quadrant team also claimed a bronze medal in sepaktakraw, further bolstering the country’s medal tally. India’s six-gold haul on Friday propelled the country to fifth place in the medal standings, providing a significant boost as the Asian Games enter their final stages. (ANI)
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