Asian Games: From 70 medals to a record 107 — how and why the needle moved
It was the shooters and archers who aimed their sights at the 100-plus medal target Team India had set themselves for the Hangzhou Asian Games. This, coupled with the dramatic improvement in both track and field, powered India’s sprint to a record tally of 107 medals that included 35 golds.
The previous best at 2018 Jakarta — 70 medals, 16 gold — had been well and truly relegated to a distant second.
At Sunday’s closing ceremony, India’s march will flag many positives: Team medals in shooting indicate a new depth of talent; gains in compound archery is good news since the event is likely to be included in the Olympics; the track-and-field domination, the mother sport, added to India’s image as a growing sporting nation. And, significantly, the badminton gold and table tennis bronze made China sit up and acknowledge India’s presence in a discipline they have made their own – and for long taken their domination for granted. (READ MORE)
It was shooting and archery, coupled with the dramatic improvement in both track and field, that powered India’s sprint to a record tally of 107 medals that included 35 golds. (PHOTOS: PTI)
