Aichi-Nagoya review: India finish fourth as Kumkum Mohod and women's hockey steal the spotlight
India finished fourth at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with the quadrennial event declared over on October 4, 2026, and China topping the medal table. The Indian contingent ended the Games with 85 medals, including 21 gold.
China finished clear at the top of the standings, with host Japan and South Korea completing the top three, while India pushed late to secure fourth place. Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Mohod emerged as a standout, winning golds in both the individual and team recurve events and securing a direct quota for the LA Olympics. Her double success was described in the report as unprecedented for Indian archery.
The Indian women's hockey team captured gold for the first time since 1982 and secured an Olympic berth in the process; beating China required a tactical reset and coach Sjoerd Marijne credited the turnaround to what he called 'discipline'. Marijne's methods were credited with transforming a squad described as fractured by groupism into a more united side.
The men's hockey team qualified for the Olympics as expected, with the Asian level gap allowing even an under-par Indian side to progress. The article noted that the World Cup exposed a widening gulf with European teams, and pointed to administrative wranglings in the sport alongside a need for hard decisions and fresh ideas if India wants to move beyond the two consecutive Olympic bronze medals it has won.
Track and field produced a mixed return for India, with the number of medals close to the previous edition (24 to 29) but several narrow misses and lost gold opportunities drawing criticism. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) was praised for training and exposure in parts, yet the piece called for greater accountability among stakeholders and a re-look at selection policies to ensure India fields its best athletes.
Wrestling was presented as an area where the existing system yielded results, with Aman Sehrawat and Sujeet Kalkal singled out as precious assets and Antim Panghal identified as another key name to protect; the report also suggested more focus on Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing recorded its best-ever Asian Games haul for India, with three gold and three bronze medals.
Badminton and shooting were labelled areas of concern despite heavy funding: badminton returned only a single bronze in the men's team event, and shooters had intermittent success with Neeru Dhanda’s imperious gold helping India finish marginally better. The article urged a stronger commitment to medal-rich water sports, both pool and open, and noted that disciplines such as kabaddi and compound archery are not part of the Olympic programme while rowing and sailing standards remain well beyond Indian prospects at the global level.
The Aichi-Nagoya Games were framed as a potential springboard for Indian athletes two years from now, or a prompt to return to planning if podium ambitions are to be realised: athletes and administrators were urged to use the next two years to either build on these results or prepare alternative Plans B, C & D.
