The 19th Asian Games was probably the best and the biggest sporting achievement for India in recent years. A 655-strong contingent that went to Hangzhou to represent the country returned with 107 medals, which is India's best-ever tally, many athletes confirmed their Paris Olympics 2024 qualification and the laurels and pride earned by every single one of them. It was truly a remarkable achievement as India left their previous best tally of 70 medals long behind with podium finishes across 22 sporting disciplines.
To commemorate and celebrate Indian athletes' historic achievement, one of the oldest heritage sites in India, Qutub Minar lit up in tricolour while displaying the country's medal tally including 28 Gold.
Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur shared the video with the caption saying, "A Radiant Night of Pride! Qutub Minar ablaze in Bharat's vibrant hues, celebrating our incredible three-digit triumph at the Asian Games on Chinese turf. Never in the 72 years of the Asian Games history has Bharat performed like it did this year. An extraordinary odyssey of excellence and pride!"
It all started with shooting and rowing with the former contributing to 22 medals in the tally. Then badminton, boxing, cricket, equestrian, wrestling, tennis, table tennis, hockey, kabaddi, chess, athletics and squash among others joined. The best performers for India were the compound archers, who made it 5/5 in their events. India bagged Gold in each of the compound events in men's team, women's team, men's individual, women's individual and mixed with Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Ojas Deotale starring with three Gold each.
Athletics was another major contributor with 29 medals as the likes of Harmilan Bains, Parul Chaudhary, Avinash Sable, Murali Sreeshankar, Tejaswin Shankar, Neeraj Chopra, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Annu Rani and Kishore Jena among others playing a starring role for India in track and field. While the kabaddi and cricket teams bagged all four Gold, the men's hockey team won Gold and the women won a Bronze as the medal count didn't stop for India till the last day. And it only gives hope for a much-improved performance in the Olympics next year.
