Nagoya, Oct 2 (IANS) Lovlina Borgohain, Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal claimed gold medals while the women's hockey team and the women's recurve team bagged historic gold medals as India bagged 12 medals, including six gold, to surge to the fifth position with 76 medals in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday.

The women's hockey team made history by beating China 1-0 to win gold in the Asian Games after a gap of 44 years. In archery, the Women’s recurve team ended a Korean hegemony to win India’s first-ever Asian Games gold in the event, while the Mixed Team & Men’s Team added silver medals.

Sujeet Kalkal ended India’s wait for a wrestling gold at the Asian Games 2026 with a stunning comeback victory in the men’s freestyle 65kg category, overcoming Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiyev 10-9 in a dramatic final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre on Friday.

India picked a silver and two bronze medals in sailing, with Nethra Kumanan finishing third in women’s dinghy sailing while another bronze came in Sepaktakraw, the Men’s Quadrant team making some history of its own by bagging India's first-ever Asian Games medal.

Friday's haul of 12 medals -- six gold, three silver and three bronze -- took India's total to 73 medals -- 16 gold, 25 silver and 35 bronze medals. India has now moved to fifth position in the standings behind China (316 medals - 162 gold), Japan (240 medals -- 72 gold), South Korea (134 - 33 gold) and Uzbekistan (65 medals -- 20 gold).

But the spotlight was on the boxing contingent, and it did not disappoint, producing a golden hat-trick.

Lovlina Borgohain delivered the perfect birthday gift for herself and the nation at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, winning Gold in the women's 75kg boxing final at the Nishio Gymnasium.

In the final, Lovlina was at her clinical best against China's Bao Ziyi, the reigning 2026 Asian Championships gold medallist, sealing a 5-0 victory to upgrade her Silver from Hangzhou 2022. With this, 12 years after Mary Kom in 2014, she became only the second Indian woman ever to win an Asian Games boxing gold, and helped India record its best-ever boxing performance at the continental event in the last 16 years.

Parveen Hooda saved her best for the biggest stage at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, striking Gold in the women's 65kg final at the Nishio Gymnasium. Up against former World Champion Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei, Parveen held her nerve in a tight final, sealing a 3-2 split decision win to claim her first Asian Games title.

It was a moment of redemption for Parveen, whose Asian Games journey from Hangzhou 2022 to Aichi-Nagoya 2026 has seen triumph, heartbreak and now glory. In doing so, she became only the third Indian woman to win boxing Gold at the Asian Games after Mary Kom (2014) and Lovlina Borgohain (2026), confirming 2026 as India's best-ever women's boxing sh…

Ankush Panghal clinched the men’s 80kg title with a 4-0 victory in Friday’s final, securing India’s third gold and sealing its most successful Asian Games boxing campaign. India finished with three gold and three bronze medals from 11 entries, recording its highest-ever gold medal haul in the sport and topping the boxing medal table ahead of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

India’s three golds placed it above Uzbekistan, which finished second with two gold, one silver and four bronze medals, and Kazakhstan, which took third place with two gold and three bronze medals.

In hockey, the women's team returned to the top of the podium after four decades, beating China 1-0 in the final to win gold for the first time since 1982, when the discipline made its Asian Games debut.

Lalremsiami scored the decisive goal in the 10th minute with a powerful reverse-hit finish as India held their nerve under sustained Chinese pressure to reclaim the continental crown for the first time since 1982.

The goal came at the end of a well-crafted attacking move, with Salima Tete providing a precise pass into the circle before Sakshi delivered the ball to Lalremsiami, who unleashed a fierce reverse hit that flew into the roof of the net, leaving the Chinese goalkeeper with no chance.

There was more history for India as the women’s recurve team of Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Mohod and Kirti stunned 10-time champions South Korea to clinch the country's first-ever gold at the Asian Games.

Marking India’s first-ever appearance in the Asian Games women’s recurve team final, India registered a 5-3 win over the mighty Koreans in the challenging conditions to clinch the historic gold medal here at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square.

In 2010 and 2022, India won a bronze medal after losing in the semi-final. Notably, the Korean team had not lost a final except for the inaugural Asian Games in 1982 until Friday.

India earlier defeated China 5-1 in the semi-final to enter their first-ever recurve team final.

Later, India duo Dhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Mohod bagged a silver medal in the mixed recurve team event after losing to China in the final here at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square on Friday.

With a gold medal win, China also secured the LA 2028 Olympic quota, while India missed out on an Olympic quota after finishing second on the podium.

This is India's second medal in recurve archery, as the women's team clinched its first-ever gold at the Asian Games earlier this morning after beating 10-time champions South Korea in their first-ever final appearance.

Sujeet Kalkal ended India’s wait for a wrestling gold at the Asian Games 2026 with a stunning comeback victory in the men’s freestyle 65kg category, overcoming Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiyev 10-9 in a dramatic final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre on Friday.

For most of the match, the 23-year-old Indian was behind 2-9, but then pulled off a remarkable late rally by scoring eight consecutive points in the final stages and won from Kudiyev to secure India's first wrestling gold at the Games.

The triumph of Kalkal was the climax of an impressive series of results in Aichi-Nagoya, having already beaten an Olympic champion and overcome tough opponents from Iran and Japan on his way to the final.

--IANS

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