India produced one of its most memorable days at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, September 26, as the country added seven medals to its tally and completed a golden double in kabaddi.

The Indian men's and women's kabaddi teams both defeated Iran in tense finals at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The women's team began the golden sweep with a 37-34 victory before the men's side followed it up with a 40-34 win later in the day.

The two victories not only secured back-to-back titles for the defending champions but also reinforced India's long-standing presence at the top of Asian Games kabaddi. The men's triumph was India's ninth gold medal in the men's kabaddi event, while the women's victory marked their fourth continental title.

India vs Iran: Kabaddi delivers a golden double

The men's final was arguably the more dramatic of the two contests.

India entered the title clash with the opportunity to retain the gold medal won at the previous Asian Games. Iran, meanwhile, represented the strongest possible test, particularly given the history between the two teams and Iran's role as India's principal challenger in men's kabaddi.

Iran made India work from the outset and held an 18-17 advantage at half-time. The defending champions, however, responded strongly after the break. India tightened its defensive structure, increased pressure on Iranian raiders and gradually turned the contest around.

Sumit was among India's most influential performers, while the defensive unit played a crucial role in preventing Iran from sustaining its momentum. India eventually established control and closed out the match 40-34.

The result gave India its ninth men's kabaddi gold at the Asian Games and ensured that the title returned to Indian hands after the team had reclaimed it at the Hangzhou edition following the setback in 2018.

The women's final had its own share of tension. India looked comfortable for long periods and went into the interval with a 22-16 lead. Iran, however, refused to surrender and mounted a strong comeback after the break.

At one stage, the Iranian challenge reduced India's advantage to just a few points, forcing the defending champions to maintain their composure during the closing stages. India eventually held firm to win 37-34 and retain the women's kabaddi title.

The victory extended India's unbeaten record in the women's Asian Games kabaddi event, which has been part of the continental programme since 2010. India has won gold at every edition except 2018, when it finished with silver.

Together, the two victories completed India's kabaddi golden double — a result that provided the biggest sporting highlight of the country's campaign on Day 7.

Seven medals in one day lift India's campaign

Kabaddi was not the only source of success for India on Saturday.

The country collected seven medals across kabaddi, athletics, shooting and squash, taking its overall medal tally to 30 by the end of the day's action. The tally stood at four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals.

One of the day's most significant performances came early in the men's marathon, where Sawan Barwal won silver in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 37 seconds.

Barwal's performance was notable for more than just the medal. He also broke his own national record, while his silver ended a 44-year wait for India to win a medal in the Asian Games men's marathon. The last Indian medal in the event had come in 1982.

Japan's Ichitaka Yamashita won the marathon gold in 2:10:49, while China's Peiyou Feng finished with bronze in 2:12:13. Barwal's result made him only the fourth Indian marathon runner to win an Asian Games medal.

Shooting and athletics add to India's medal count

India's shooting contingent also contributed a silver medal on Saturday.

Tilottama Sen, Vidarsa Vinod and Ashi Chouksey combined for 1,763 points in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions team event. China secured gold with a Games-record score of 1,773, while Kazakhstan took bronze with 1,754.

The Indian performance was particularly encouraging because two members of the team, Tilottama and Vidarsa, also reached the individual final. They narrowly missed individual medals, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

In athletics, Prachi Choudhary secured bronze in the women's 400m with a time of 53.21 seconds.

Bahrain's Salwa Naser won the event in a Games-record 49.20 seconds, while Iran's Zahra Zarei Manoujan took silver in 52.38 seconds.

India also added a silver through Tajinderpal Singh Toor in the men's shot put. The two-time defending champion produced a throw of 20.64m, but Iran's Mohammadreza Tayebi surpassed him with a Games-record 20.81m. Tayebi's effort also broke Toor's previous Asian Games record of 20.75m.

Squash stars keep India's gold hopes alive

India's campaign in squash also gained momentum on Saturday, with both Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh reaching their respective singles finals.

Anahat produced one of the day's standout comebacks, recovering from two games down against Japan's world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe. After losing the opening two games, the Indian teenager fought back to win the next three and complete a remarkable 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 victory.

Abhay Singh also secured his place in the men's singles final after beating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in straight games, 11-3, 12-10, 11-6.

The performances mean India remains in contention for further gold medals in squash, with qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics also adding significance to the singles results.

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar, meanwhile, secured bronze in mixed doubles after losing their semifinal against Hong Kong's Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi.

Hockey, archery and badminton provide more positives

India's success on Day 7 extended beyond the medal winners.

The men's hockey team booked its place in the semifinals after defeating Japan 2-0 in its penultimate pool match.

Archery also delivered encouraging results. Dhiraj Bommadevara topped the men's recurve individual qualification with 698 points, setting a new Asian Games qualification record. Chikitha Taniparthi led the women's compound qualification with 705 points, while India also finished first in the compound mixed team qualification.

In badminton, Unnati Hooda emerged as one of India's notable performers. The teenager won two matches to reach the women's singles quarterfinals, including a straight-games victory over Indonesia's world No. 6 Putri Kusuma Wardani.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also progressed after defeating Japan's world No. 3 pair Mayu Matsumoto and Yuki Fukushima.

There were setbacks as well. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were eliminated, while India's table tennis campaign ended without another medal after Manush Shah and Yashaswini Ghorpade lost their respective singles pre-quarterfinals.

A defining day for India's Asian Games campaign

What made September 26 particularly significant was the breadth of India's medal-winning performances.

The kabaddi teams supplied two gold medals. Barwal delivered a historic marathon silver. The shooting trio added another silver, Choudhary claimed bronze in athletics, Toor added a silver in shot put and the squash pair secured bronze.

By the close of Day 7, India's medal tally had reached 30, comprising four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals.

Yet the kabaddi double remains the defining image of the day.

The men's team had to overcome a half-time deficit before defeating Iran 40-34. The women's side also had to withstand a determined Iranian comeback before winning 37-34. Neither final was a routine victory, and that is precisely what made the double gold more significant.

For India, the results also carried a sense of continuity. The men's team restored its place at the top after the 2018 disruption and retained the title in 2026, while the women's side continued its unbeaten gold-medal run across the Asian Games editions in which the event has been contested.

As the Aichi-Nagoya Games move deeper into their second week, India now carries the momentum of a seven-medal day and two more Asian Games kabaddi titles. With squash finals, hockey's knockout stages, athletics and several other medal events still ahead, the country's campaign remains firmly in motion.

But on a Saturday packed with memorable performances, it was the familiar sound of kabaddi that provided India's loudest celebration: two finals, two victories and two gold medals.

With input from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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