India’s wrestlers will aim to build on the country’s long Asian Games medal tradition when competition at the 20th edition of the Games begins in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 30.
The Indian contingent will be looking to improve on its performance at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where wrestlers returned with six medals — one silver and five bronze. Deepak Punia delivered the only silver in the men’s freestyle 86kg category, while Aman Sehrawat, Sunil Kumar, Antim Panghal, Sonam Malik and Kiran Bishnoi claimed bronze medals.
Wrestling has historically been a productive discipline for India at the continental event. The country has finished on the wrestling podium at every Asian Games since Bangkok 1998. India went without a wrestling medal at the 1958 Tokyo and 1994 Hiroshima editions.
India’s Asian Games wrestling journey began with two medals at Manila in 1954, when Baburao Kashid won silver and Sohan Singh secured bronze.
The country’s biggest haul came at Jakarta in 1962, when Indian wrestlers collected 12 medals, including three gold, six silver and three bronze. Maruti Mane, Ganpat Andalkar and Malwa Singh were among the gold medallists.
Several prominent names have since contributed to India’s success. Chandgi Ram won gold in Bangkok in 1970, while Rajinder Singh and Kartar Singh topped the podium at the 1978 Games. Satpal Singh won gold on home soil in New Delhi in 1982 before Kartar added another title in Seoul four years later.
More recently, Yogeshwar Dutt won the men’s freestyle 65kg gold at Incheon 2014, where Bajrang Punia took silver and Vinesh Phogat earned bronze.
India enjoyed another strong showing at Jakarta 2018. Bajrang upgraded to gold in the men’s freestyle 65kg event, while Vinesh captured the women’s freestyle 50kg title. Divya Kakran added a bronze in the women’s 68kg category.
Women wrestlers have become an increasingly important part of India’s Asian Games medal tally since Geetika Jakhar and Alka Tomar reached the podium at Doha 2006.
With another Asian Games campaign approaching, the Aichi-Nagoya competition offers Indian wrestlers the opportunity to extend a medal-winning tradition and surpass their six-medal return from Hangzhou.
