India finishes the Asian Games fourth, on 21 golds, after the men's hockey final

India closed the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in fourth place, with 85 medals: 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. The last of those golds came from the men's hockey team, which beat its final opponent to take a second consecutive Asian Games title in the sport. Sportstar reported the hockey win as India's 21st gold of the Games, and the medal that fixed the table.

Fourth place was not settled by gold alone. Uzbekistan also finished on 21 golds. India ranks above it because it has more silver: 27 to Uzbekistan's 25. Uzbekistan's full line is 21 gold, 25 silver and 24 bronze, 70 medals in all. On a count-back that uses silver before bronze, India keeps the place it held in Hangzhou in 2022, when the contingent won 106 medals. Some Indian reports put the Hangzhou haul at 107 medals and 28 golds. Either figure, the 2026 total is well short of that peak.

The top of the table was not close. China won 169 gold, 89 silver and 83 bronze, 341 medals. Host Japan was second with 83 gold, 95 silver and 91 bronze, 269 in all. South Korea was third with 39 gold, 43 silver and 68 bronze, 150 medals. Iran and Thailand were next on golds, Iran with 19 and Thailand with 18, each on 52 medals overall. Kazakhstan had fewer golds, 12, but 84 medals in total, one short of India, because of 48 bronzes.

Further down, Hong Kong, China had 11 gold and 54 medals. Bahrain matched those 11 golds with a much thinner supporting line, 5 silver and 6 bronze. Malaysia had 9 gold. North Korea had 7 gold, 13 silver and 9 bronze. The United Arab Emirates had 7 gold. Qatar had 6. Chinese Taipei had 5 gold but 55 medals, carried by 33 bronzes. Indonesia had 5 gold and 39 medals. The Philippines had 4 gold and 29 medals. Pakistan finished with no gold, 2 silver and 8 bronze. Sri Lanka had 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.

The Olympic Council of Asia recorded 54 world records and 89 continental records across the Games, The Times of India's assembly briefing reported, despite organisational problems that had drawn complaints during the fortnight. The last competitive day, 4 October, included equestrian jumping at Equestrian Park, where Gulf riders took both individual finals, Khel Now reported. The closing ceremony followed on Sunday.

India's hockey gold is the cleanest single line in the contingent's account. A second straight title means the team has now won the Asian Games in 2022 and 2026, which keeps it as the continental reference point going into the next Olympic cycle. The rest of the 21 golds are spread across sports, and the public tally does not yet break them out in one official OCA table that every Indian desk is using. What is stable across Sportstar and Khel Now is the national line: 21, 27, 37, 85, fourth.

The comparison with Hangzhou is the number Indian sport will argue over. A drop from 106 or 107 medals to 85, and from 28 golds to 21, is a smaller Games for a country that had treated Hangzhou as a new floor. Finishing above Uzbekistan on silver saves the ranking. It does not save the total. The next Asian Games will be read against both numbers: whether fourth place holds, and whether 21 golds was a dip or a new level.

For the athletes still in Japan on Sunday night, the table was already closed. The hockey final was the last Indian medal. Everything after that was ceremony.