Golden day for India

India registered one of their biggest medal hauls of the Asian Games on Saturday, with gold medals coming in men’s hockey, T20 cricket, wrestling, golf and archery.

The men’s hockey team won the match by beating Malaysia 5-1 in the final to retain their Asian Games title and book a place at the 2028 Olympics.

India’s medal tally now stands at 85 medals – 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh led from the front with two goals as India beat Malaysia 5-1 to win the men’s hockey gold. Harmanpreet scored in the 11th and 57th minutes, while Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra also found the net. Malaysia’s only goal came from Shello Silverius in the 14th minute. Harmanpreet finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 12 goals.

The win gave India their fifth Asian Games men’s hockey gold, after previous triumphs in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022. The victory came a day after the women’s team beat defending champions China 1-0 to win their first Asian Games gold in 44 years and secure an Olympic berth. It was the first time that both Indian hockey teams finished on top of the podium at the same Asian Games.

Aman Sehrawat upgraded his bronze from the 2023 Hangzhou Games to gold by beating North Korea’s reigning world champion Chong Song Han 10-7 in the men’s 57kg final. The 23-year-old was initially frustrated by Han’s defensive approach but took control after being put on the clock. He built a 6-1 lead before Han fought back to move 7-6 ahead. Aman responded with two more takedowns to seal the gold. India finished the wrestling competition with six medals — two gold, two silver and two bronze.