Asian Games, just like the Olympics is the epitome of pride, emotion, patriotism, and nationalism. We take immense pride in the participation and performance of our athletes in the Asian Games. Asian Games 2023 are ongoing in Hangzhou, China and the athletes come across encouragement from every corner of the nation. This is the case even if the viewers from India are not well-informed about all the games that are being played. All games are not that popular in India.
Words of encouragement flow from every nook and corner of the nation whenever our athletes win a medal. Even the Hon. PM of India, Sh. Narendra Modi extends his encouragement to all athletes participating in the Asian Games.
India’s faring reasonably well at Asian Games 2023
India recently won the bronze medal in Women’s Speed Skating 3000m Relay and Men’s Speed Skating 3000m Relay at the Asian Games that are currently ongoing in Hongzhou, China. The Prime Minister has congratulated the athletes on this achievement. He has expressed that he is overjoyed and takes great pride in the achievement.
Let us take a look at the history of the Asian Games and India’s performance in the same.
It is noteworthy that India has made history at the Asian Games 2023 this time over and has won over 70 medals, something that no Indian contingent of athletes for the Asian Games has ever achieved earlier.
India is expected to win over 100 medals in the competition, and the way that the results are coming out and our athletes are performing, India is well and truly on its way to getting over 100 medals this time over. This tells us that while the nation progresses, sports, games, and athletics are also progressing and attaining new milestones.
With the passing of the 11th day at the Asian Games, India won two medals in the morning. One of them was in archery while the other one was in the 35 km race.
It was on the 11th day of the Asian Games that India’s medal tally attained the magic figure of 70. The tally at the end of the 10th day stood at 69. It now stands at 71. So, yes, all old records are broken, and by a fair margin, for that matter.
The 71st medal that India won at the Asian Games was a gold. This was in archery and was won by the pair of Jyoti Surekha and Ojas Devtale.
India’s historic performance in Asian Games
It was way back in 1951 that the Asian Games were first held. India being the host, the Asian Games were held in Delhi. India’s medal tally, following the games stood at 51, with 15 gold, 16 silver, and 20 bronze. India stood second in the medal table.
Most readers are likely to be surprised to know that to win 50 medals at the Asian Games once again, it took 31 years for India.
After 1951, it was in 1982 that India crossed the tally of 50 medals. The 1982 Asian Games were once again held in New Delhi and India won 57 medals at the games, including 13 golds.
It is noteworthy that India won 17 medals in 1954 and only 13 in 1958. This is in sharp contrast to the fact that India had won 15 golds in 1951.
1990 was one of the years when India failed to make it to the top 10 in the medals tally. In 1990, India’s medal tally stood at 23.
1998 onwards, India’s been doing a great job at Asian Games
India’s performance in the Asian Games began to improve from 1998 onwards. It was then in 2006 that for the very first time, India’s medal tally crossed 50 at the Asian Games held abroad. But since 2006, India has won over 50 medals in each of the Asian Games that have been held.
In 2010, India won 65 medals and bettered its prior personal record for the highest medal tally. In 2018, India improved its record further and the medal tally stood at 70.
Now, as the Asian Games are ongoing in Hangzhou, China, it is a matter of pride for all Indians that we have already won 71 medals. Similarly, our athletes have reached the finals of many events where they could not win medals.
It now becomes clear that at Asian Games 2023, our athletes will write new success stories that are unprecedented in the history of the nation.
Indian players left for Hangzhou with the slogan of crossing the hundred and the same has been vastly advertised on television. So, our athletes are expected to achieve the landmark of 100 medals this time over, for the first time in India’s history.
