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After India's record-breaking campaign in Hangzhou, the country's defending Asian Games champions are heading into another continental challenge, this time in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where the 2026 Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4.
India's record campaign at the 2023 Asian Games produced 28 gold medals and 107 medals overall. As the country prepares for the next edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the spotlight will be on those who helped create that success and now face the challenge of doing it again. In athletics, Avinash Sable will seek another gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor returns as a defending champion in the men's shot put. Parul Chaudhary, who claimed gold in the women's 5000m in Hangzhou, will also be among India's key athletics names. The men's 4x400m relay team adds a different dimension to the title-defence story, with four athletes needing to deliver collectively on the biggest continental stage. In compound archery, Jyothi Surekha Vennam will be among India's prominent names as the country looks to build on its strong showing in Hangzhou. Indian compound archers enjoyed a highly successful campaign in 2023, making the discipline one to watch again in Japan. Shooting will once again be central to India's medal ambitions. Manu Bhaker and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar are among the names associated with India's Hangzhou gold-medal campaign and will return to the Asian Games spotlight. On the badminton court, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will carry perhaps one of the most significant title-defence stories. The pair became India's first men's doubles badminton champions at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, turning their gold into a landmark moment for Indian badminton. The Indian men's hockey team will also arrive in Japan as defending Asian Games champions. Their Hangzhou gold secured India's qualification for the Paris Olympics and underlined the team's importance in the country's multi-sport campaign. Cricket will add another major storyline. India won both the men's and women's T20 cricket gold medals when the sport returned to the Asian Games programme in Hangzhou. With cricket continuing to feature in Aichi-Nagoya, the Indian teams will once again be part of the country's medal campaign. For these athletes and teams, however, the 2026 Asian Games will not be a simple repeat of Hangzhou. New opponents, changing form, increased expectations and the pressure of defending a title will create a different challenge. India's historic campaign at Asian Games 2023:India signed off from the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou with a record haul of 107 medals, comprising 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze. The tally surpassed India's previous best performance at the Asian Games, achieved at the 2018 edition in Jakarta, where the 570-member Indian contingent won 70 medals, including 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze. Shooting emerged as India's most successful sport in Hangzhou, producing an unprecedented 22 medals, including seven gold. Athletics followed closely, with India's campaign headlined by Neeraj Chopra successfully defending his men's javelin throw title. The sport contributed six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze medals to India's overall tally. However, Neeraj will miss the upcoming Asian Games after he suffered an ankle ligament tear during a training session, which also ended his 2026 campaign. India also enjoyed a dominant campaign in compound archery, sweeping all five gold medals on offer in the discipline. The remaining gold medals came from squash, tennis and equestrian, completing India's tally of 28 gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. From Sable and Toor on the athletics track to Satwik-Chirag on the badminton court, Jyothi in compound archery, India's shooters, hockey team and cricket sides, the journey from Hangzhou to Japan will test whether India's champions can once again finish at the top of the Asian podium. (ANI)
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