Asian Games Day 8: India Wins Two Kabaddi Golds, Medal Tally Reaches 30 As Anahat, Abhay Eye Squash Gold

India produced its best day yet at the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday, winning seven medals, including two golds, as both the men’s and women’s kabaddi teams retained their titles. The haul took India’s overall tally to 30 medals - four gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze, with squash stars Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh also assuring themselves at least silver medals.

The biggest triumphs came in kabaddi. The women defeated Iran 37-34 in a tense final, surviving a late fightback to retain their Asian Games crown. The men then completed the double, beating Iran 40-34 after trailing 17-18 at half-time. The men's victory was India's ninth Asian Games kabaddi gold, while the women's team secured its fourth.

Sawan Barwal opened the medal rush with a historic silver in the men's marathon, clocking 2:11:37. It was India's first Asian Games marathon medal since 1982 and ended a 44-year wait in the event.

Shooting added another silver as Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen and Vidarsa Vinod finished second in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions team event. India scored 1,763 points, behind China's 1,773.

Athletics brought mixed fortunes. Tajinderpal Singh Toor won silver in men's shot put with 20.64m, while Prachi Chaudhary took bronze in the women's 400m. But Jyothi Yarraji withdrew from the 100m hurdles after feeling knee pain during warm-up, and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel also missed competition because of injury.

Squash delivered one of the day's biggest stories. Anahat Singh fought back from 0-2 down to stun Japan's world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2, becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games singles final. Abhay Singh also stormed into the men's singles final after beating Pakistan's Irfan Muhammad 3-0. Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won mixed-doubles bronze.

In hockey, the Indian men's team beat Japan 2-0 to reach the semifinals. In badminton, Unnati Hooda advanced to the women's singles quarter-finals and Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand reached the women's doubles quarter-finals, while Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty were knocked out in men's singles. PV Sindhu also progressed.

Archery provided another major highlight, with Dhiraj Bommadevara topping men's recurve qualification with an Asian Games record 698 points, while Chikitha Taniparthi topped women's compound qualification with 705. India's teams also secured strong positions for the medal rounds.

India therefore leaves Day 8 with four golds and 30 medals, while kabaddi has delivered a double gold, squash has opened two more gold opportunities and hockey remains firmly in the medal race.