Hangzhou, Oct 7: Indian athletes touched the magical figure of 107 medals at the Asian Games with their blood, sweat and toil over the last fortnight to give the country an early Diwali gift, and a promise of a best-ever harvest at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With India concluding its engagements at the continental showpiece on Saturday as no athlete from the country is in the fray in a couple of events scheduled on the final day of competition on Sunday, the tally of 107 will remain etched in the collective memory of the nation until the athletes decide to reset it in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan in 2026.
India’s final tally in Hangzhou stood at 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze, a quantum leap from the 70 medals the contingent bagged at Jakarta in 2018.
The tally had touched the 95-medal mark on Friday with a few assured medals on Saturday.
But, surprisingly, the athletes bagged 12 medals on the last day of their campaign, clinching six gold, four silver and two bronze as India had the fourth-best tally behind China, Japan and South Korea.
India’s fourth position is unlikely to change as fifth-placed Uzbekistan has 20 gold as compared to India’s 28. (PTI)
