Asian Games 2023: It's a wrap with India's biggest-ever medals win at a single edition

Even the hawk-eyed customs officials will let it pass but not before the customary selfies with the winners, some would want to feel it, touch it, understand the hue and cry about it.

Before the Indian cricket team had scored a hundred at the ongoing World Cup, the Asian Games team had struck century. From 70, the last time around in the humidity of Jakarta, the 107 came in the cooler, slightly wetter climes of Hangzhou.

Beyond the rallying riffs, and there would be more of it, was the grit, determination, and spunk of the 652 athletes that competed in Hangzhou. It’s easy to pick out winners but each of the 652 helped in creating the medal winners; their presence, push, competitiveness, ambition giving that edge, propelling them on to what we call ‘the podium.’

A salute to those who made it. A bigger one to those who helped others make it.

If a team can win an Asian Games Gold, then why not honour the contingent. PV Sindhu without a medal, is no less a champion. Bajrang Punia without a medal is no less a man for what he stood up to and believed was right.

Saurav Ghoshal won his 5th consecutive individual squash medal, his 9th overall. But no, individual gold yet in 17 years of Asian Games competition. He is still India’s greatest squash player.

Lovlina Borgohain won a silver, a place at the Paris Olympics and is still the reigning World Champion. Nikhat Zareen was beautiful to watch, dancing feet, but returns with only a bronze and a spot at Paris — all winners including the rest of the boxers.

HS Prannoy spilled guts, scooped glory when he won India’s first badminton singles bronze in 41 years; the last one to win was the magnificent late Syed Modi at the ’82 Games.

Annu Rani didn’t have a clue why her form had deserted her for more than a year. She found it at the Athletic Sports Park, a throw of 62.92, ensuring she becomes the first Indian woman to win the javelin. Also, the first time, India had picked gold in both men’s and women’s javelin. Does one really have to talk about Neeraj Chopra? He won. Again.

Chopra also ensured Kishore Jena raised his level, the Olympic Champions presence pushing the Odisha lad to a silver in his first year of international competition.

Elsewhere, Raju Tolani, a 62-year-old took home a bridge silver; Rohan Bopanna, 43-year-old plus, signed off with a mixed-doubles gold after becoming the oldest man to reach a Grand Slam final (2023 US Open).

At the other end of the spectrum, Anahat Singh, a 15-year-old, won two bronze medals in squash.

Seema Punia, 40-plus, took her 3rd Asian Games medal, bronze in the discus. She was the 2014 Asian Games gold and the 2018 bronze winner. Punia promises to be in Paris. And the next Asian Games? Punia’s enigmatic smile says it all.

Rifleman Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and pistol shooter Esha Singh won four medals each — the most by a single athlete. The 33-member shooting contingent won 22 medals with seven gold.

While in compound archery, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Deotale won three golds each (individual, team and mixed) as the 16-member contingent won nine medals. Hopefully, compound archery makes its debut at the 2028 LA Olympics.

In track and field, a total of 29 medals were won with six of them gold — Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Avinash Sable, Neeraj Chopra, Parul Chaudhary, Annu Rani and the men’s 4x400 relay team. Also, Vithya Ramraj was the only athlete to bag three medals: She clocked a personal best of 55.42 seconds in the women's 400m hurdles to equal the national record set by Indian track and field legend PT Usha, a record that has stood unbroken for nearly four decades to win a bronze, a silver in the 4x400m mixed relay and a silver in women's 4x400m relay.

And, then, on the last day, a medal, gold at that, probably the most popular one, which every player from Prakash Padukone to Gopichand to Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu had hoped to crack including Prannoy at this Games went to a crack doubles outfit — Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the first doubles medal in 41 years and India’s first badminton gold medal in 61 years since the sport was introduced at the Asian Games in 1962. By next week, Satwik-Chirag would be the World’s No. 1 pair after fresh world rankings are announced.

And if you were that Indian, hung up on the emotional link with hockey, yes, they triumphed winning the men’s gold, in what was one of their most dominant Asian Games display while the women slipped a bit, winning bronze.

If grit had a gold medal, it would go to Naorem Roshibina Devi, who won silver in Wushu. She broke down after her bout as she doesn’t know when it would be safe for her to go home to her family in Manipur. Speaking to PTI after her bout, she said: “Manipur is burning. I can’t go to my village. I want to dedicate this medal to those who are protecting us and suffering there.”
And the three who never made it to China, wushu players — Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu — denied entry to the Asian Games as they are from Arunachal Pradesh; let’s recognise their hard work and how geo-political forces destroy an athlete’s dreams. At times, the Games are bitter-sweet.

India’s 107 medals mirrors success. Of a nation that wants to be more just a footnote in sporting history.