Not each Asian Games medal weighs the identical

With 254 medals, 79 of them golds, India firmly sits within the third spot all-time checklist on the Asian Games. What comes as stark distinction is that India are 61st within the Olympics, tied sixty fifth with Tunisia and Burkina Faso within the World Championships and fifteenth on the Commonwealth Games.

Indians have at all times fared properly on the Asian circuit with China and Japan being their solely main rivals. India will even be cautious of African athletes adopted by oil-rich nations like Qatar and Bahrain within the endurance occasions. India bagged 20 medals in Jakarta and can certainly surpass the tally in Hangzhou. A medal rush shouldn’t shock anybody.

The Men’s 4×400 relay quartet of Amoj Jacob, Rajesh Ramesh, Mohd Anas and Ajmal Variyathodi with 2:59.05 that completed fifth at Budapest are contemporary from two historic back-to-back sub-3 minute races and clear favourites to take gold. (WR: 2:54.29s – USA). In Men’s Javelin (WR:98.48 Jan Zelezny, AR: 91.36m Chao Tsun-Cheng), Neeraj Chopra is the favorite to carry dwelling the gold however Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem will certainly give him stiff competitors.

In Women’s 100m hurdles (WR: 12.12s Tobi Amusan AR: 12.44s Olga Shishigina), Jyothi Yarraji is at the moment within the second spot within the Asia season’s finest checklist behind China’s Yani Wu. The ladies’s quick hurdles might be one of the crucial thrilling occasions with 8 of the highest 10 from the Asia checklist having clocked sub-13-second races this season.

Strength of the sphere:

Neeraj Chopra & Arshad Nadeem (India & Pakistan): gold-silver on the 2023 Budapest World Championships in Javelin; Winfred Yavi (Nigeria-born Bahrainian): gold at 2023 Worlds in 3000m steeplechase; Gong Lijiao (China): 3 Olympic & 8 World Championship medals in shot put; Wang Jianan (China): gold at 2022 Worlds in lengthy leap; Zhu Yaming (China): silver at Tokyo Games and bronze at Euegene World Championships in lengthy leap.

Indian medal hopes: Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), 4x400m males’s relay crew, Tajinder Toor (Shot put), Sreeshankar Murali and Jeswin Aldrin (lengthy leap), Shaili Singh (lengthy leap), Vithya Ramraj (400mH), Praveen Chitravel (triple leap), Neeraj Chopra (javelin), Avinash Sable (steeplechase), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Parul Chaudhary (steeplechase)

Smart stat: Jyothi Yarraji has clocked 7 official sub-13s hurdles this year- probably the most by any Asian this season up to now. Asuka Terada of Japan has 5, Asia season chief Yani Wu of China has 4, Yumi Tanka and Masumi Aoki of Japan have 4 every.

– Andrew Amsan

Jyothi Yarraji

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Archery: Compound curiosity

India’s fortunes in archery are more likely to range within the two types – compound and recurve.

Of late, India has been one of many strongest sides in compound archery, a format that doesn’t discover a place within the Olympic programme. They are the top-ranked facet within the compound blended crew occasion, and second in each males’s and girls’s competitions. Jyothi Surekha Vennam has been in nice type not too long ago, and ranked third on the earth as has Aditi Gopichand. The likes of Abhishek Verma – an Asian Games gold medallist himself – and Ojas Pravin Deotale will be anticipated to excel on the large stage. Korea and Chinese Taipei are the opposite main contenders in compound archery, however India ought to be an excellent wager for a podium end, and on an excellent day, gold.

It is anticipated to be a lot harder within the recurve self-discipline with Indians a lot decrease within the particular person rankings. Koreans are the dominant pressure right here, although Dhiraj Bommadevara not too long ago upset prime ranked Kim Woojin on the World Cup finals. China, Chinese Taipei and Japan are additionally fairly robust. The Indian males’s and girls’s groups are ranked among the many prime 10 on the earth, however the competitors is anticipated to be intense, particularly within the males’s part, nearly at Olympic ranges. India doesn’t have a single recurve archer – man or lady – within the prime 15, and any medal within the particular person or crew occasions might be a commendable effort.

Strength of the sphere: Aditi Gopichand Swami & Ojas Pravin Deotale (India): Individual world champions in compound; Korea: Recurve Men’s crew & Recurve Mixed crew world champions; Kim Woojin (Korea): Recurve males’s file holder (1391/1440).

Indian medal hopes: Ojas Pravin Deotale, Abhishek Verma, Prathamesh Samadhan Jawkar (Compound males); Aditi Gopichand Swami (Compound ladies); Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Gopichand Swami, Parneet Kaur (Compound ladies’s crew); Ojas Pravin Deotale, Abhishek Verma , Prathamesh Samadhan Jawkar (Compound males’s crew)

Smart stat: South Korea has been the perfect nation in archery on the Asian Games ever because the 1982 Delhi version, successful 42 of 60 gold medals until date. The subsequent finest is Japan with 8 gold. India has received 10 medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze).

– Tushar Bhaduri

ndia’s Jyothi Surekha Vennam (left) and Ojas Pravin Deotale

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Badminton: Tougher than Olympics

India has by no means received an Asian Games gold in badminton, and that’s down to only how significantly the powerhouses China, Indonesia, Korea and Japan take the Asian Games in shuttle. Medalling at Asiad is an enormous deal and don’t be shocked if prime shuttlers peak at Hangzhou even shrugging off the World Championships as lead-ups. Going deep into the Asian Games draw is harder than Olympics, at instances.
For most, the frustration of the Worlds affords a chance of a bounce-back at Asiad on 2023’s best stage, for even the early rounds can get tough at Hangzhou in comparison with Copenhagen. Satwik-Chirag, India’s finest bets, will even have the hardest opponents, with the Chinese and Indonesian pairings smarting from losses at World’s searching for redemption and enjoying at dwelling, and the Koreans emboldened after their shock triumph.

Prannoy is the person in type and can as soon as once more shepherd India’s Thomas Cup crew aiming for the boys’s crew title, a sensible expectation. Sindhu and Srikanth have been in detached type, however an Asian Games medal can salvage the season, particularly for Srikanth. An particular person males’s medal that India final received in 1982 by means of Syed Modi although, might be a prized possession.

Strength of the sphere: All 5 reigning world champions in 5 classes at the moment are Asians; An Se Young, Korea (WS), Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Thailand (MS), Seo Seung-jae – Kang Min-hyuk, Korea (MD), Seo Seung-jae – Chae Yoo-jung, Korea (XD), Chen Qing-chen – Jia Yifan, China (WD)

India medal hopes: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, HS Prannoy, Men’s crew

Smart Stat: Of the 121 Olympic medals in badminton since 1992, a staggering 106 have been received by Asians, the remaining 15 by Europeans.

– Shivani Naik

HS Prannoy

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Hockey: Only gold commonplace

The males’s crew goes into the Asian Games gingerly optimistic figuring out that they’re only one mind fade away from a repeat of Jakarta.

India’s rise on the earth has coincided with the collective decline of Asian hockey and they’re in a snug place to reclaim the gold medal they final received on the 2014 Asiad. The actual take a look at for India lies exterior Asia however to compete on the Olympics, they need to go this take a look at on condition that the Asian Games can be an Olympic qualifier.

And that’s typically tough. Malaysia, the one facet aside from India to characteristic on the earth prime 10, are a banana pores and skin opponent.

While a gold is the naked minimal expectation from the boys’s crew, it’ll be harder for the ladies. Four Asian groups occupy the six spots – between quantity 7 (India) and 12 (South Korea) – on the earth rankings. And so, whereas Europe is the dominant pressure, ladies’s hockey in Asia is carefully contested and is much extra open than the boys’s recreation.

An improve from silver they received in Jakarta might be an enormous feat for the Indian ladies, who purpose for a third-straight Olympic look.

Strength of the sphere: There are not any present world champions from Asia.

Indian medal hopes: The males’s crew, ranked third on the earth, is an outright favorite to win the gold whereas the ladies, who received silver in Jakarta, must overcome stiff competitors to go one step additional.

Smart Stat: Four Asian groups occupy the six spots in world rating between quantity 7 (India) and 12 (South Korea), underlining how shut all groups are.

– Mihir Vasavda

The males’s crew, ranked third on the earth, is an outright favorite to win the gold

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Shooting: Best in enterprise

The Asian Games might not be as a lot of a cheerful looking floor for Indians as say the Commonwealth Games, however there may be positively an uptick in medals at this degree if in comparison with the World Championships or the Olympics.

Take into consideration India’s Jakarta Asian Games tally. Coming into the match with a lot of who have been thought-about to be a trailblazing group of shooters, India received two gold medals, 4 silvers and three bronze medals to return third within the total tally.

Ahead of them have been perennial superpowers in capturing in South Korea and China. Both these international locations historically do higher than India on the Olympic degree, with China routinely taking gold medals on the again of their superlative shot groupings.

At the not too long ago concluded World Championships, two Indians received bronze medals whereas the 10m air pistol blended crew occasion noticed a gold medal.

At the Asian degree, Indians with barely decrease qualification scores may discover themselves making finals and as soon as at that place, an excellent day within the workplace can land a medal. That scenario is a far departure from the World’s or the Olympics the place qualification scores should be elite to be able to even make the ultimate. In 2021 at Tokyo, solely Saurabh Chaudhary reached the ultimate of his occasion. This time round, Chaudhary, who’s the defending champion within the 10m air pistol occasion, shouldn’t be even part of the Asian Games squad.

Strength of the sphere: Women’s 10m Air rifle: (Chn) Han Jiayu (World Champion), Han Jiayu (World Record); Men’s 10m Air rifle: Victor Lindgren (World champion), Yu Haonan (world file)

Indian medal hopes: Rudrankksh Patil, Mehuli Ghosh

Smart Stat: India’s finest capturing efficiency on the Asian Games got here in 2006 when the crew mixed to gather three golds, 5 silvers and 6 bronze medals for a complete of 14

– Shashank Nair

Mehuli Ghosh

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Boxing: Teeming with Worlds medals

At the 2018 Asian Games, India had a disappointing marketing campaign the place none of its ladies boxers received a medal and the lone vibrant spot of the marketing campaign was Amit Panghal, who beat the then reigning world champion to carry gold. Vikas Krishnan received a bronze as properly.

But this Asian Games may see an uptick for Indian boxers primarily based purely on the variety of world champions current within the squad. Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Deepak Bhoria and Nishant Dev are all reigning World Championship medallists

At the Asian degree, the decrease weight classes are the place the problem lies. For Zareen, a two-time World’s gold medallist this Asian Games might be a primary and an opportunity to not solely gauge the place she lies in Asia, but in addition to decipher how her bouts might be judged at this degree, sans the IBA working the programme.

For Lovlina Borgohain, a gold ought to be the minimal. Out of the CWG, World’s and Olympics, this might be the simplest setting for her to win one. She can be the present reigning Asian champion, a title she received in Amman in 2022.

Strength of the sphere: Men’s 71kg – Aslanbek Shymbergenov (World Champion); Men’s 51kg – Hasanboy Dusmatov (World Champion)

Indian medal hopes: Nikhat Zareen (51 kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg), Nishant Dev (71 kg), Deepak Bhoria (51 kg)

Smart Stat: Both of the Indian medal winners from the 2018 Asian Games in boxing haven’t been chosen as a part of the squad this time round. While Deepak Bhoria was chosen over Amit Panghal, Vikas Krishan’s comeback try has not fared properly.

– Shashank Nair

Lovlina Borgohain

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Weightlifting: Heavy lifting

At the continuing 2023 World Weightlifting Championships, of the 11 medal occasions which were accomplished up to now, 9 gold medals have gone the way in which of Asian lifters. Asia unquestionably dominates the world of weightlifting, holding 40 out of 47 lifting world information.

India’s weightlifting contingent might have finished exceedingly properly on the Commonwealth Games, returning with 13 medals, however with the Asian Games coming within the run as much as the Olympics subsequent 12 months, and North Korea – a weightlifting powerhouse – returning to each occasions, the true take a look at among the many world’s finest ought to come on Hangzhou.

Strength of the sphere: Huihua Jiang (China) broke each the clear and jerk (120kg), and whole (215kg), world information for the 49kg class on the ongoing weightlifting worlds

Indian medal hopes: Mirabai Chanu

Smart Stat: Having but to breach the 90kg lifting mark in snatch, Mirabai Chanu’s energy has been the clear and jerk.

– Namit Kumar

Mirabai Chanu

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Kabaddi: Wary of Iran

After making it to the 1982 Asian Games as an exhibition sport, Kabaddi has grow to be a daily characteristic at each occasion because the 1990 Games in Beijing. It can be a sport that India has at all times dominated. But after successful each gold on the Asian Games, the Indian women and men have been shocked by Iran on the 2018 Games in Jakarta.

For the file, the Indian males received seven gold whereas the ladies received two (Kabaddi for ladies was launched on the Asian Games solely in 2010).

Iran, who’ve perennially performed second fiddle to India, shocked the boys within the semifinal in Jakarta, beating them by a powerful 14 factors. The Iranian ladies shocked their Indian opponents 27-24 within the remaining to provide Iran a kabaddi double on the Games.

The Indians appear to be motivated to avenge their loss and are eager to place the reminiscences of Jakarta behind them with not one of the 12 gamers within the males’s squad making the minimize to the crew this time round.
The males will even take coronary heart from the truth that they’ve crushed Iran twice on the Asian Kabaddi Championships which concluded in July this 12 months. Even at these Championships, nonetheless, it was Iran who made them break a sweat and so they’ll positively be cautious of them.

Strength of the sphere: India’s Kabaddi crew (males’s) is by far probably the most profitable nationwide crew, successful gold medals on the Asian Games a whopping seven instances — 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. India have dominated the Kabaddi World Cup as properly, successful all three occasions held so far.

Indian medal hopes: Nothing however a gold medal is anticipated from each the boys’s and the ladies’s crew on the Asian Games. After each the groups misplaced to Iran on the final Games in Jakarta, the strain is on them to reclaim the gold.

Smart stat: India misplaced to Pakistan within the 1993 South Asian Games gold medal match. However, in what was an intense grudge match, they exacted revenge on the 1998 Asian Games held in Bangkok, the place India beat Pakistan within the remaining.

– Anil Dias

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Rowing: China dominates amidst weak Asian presence

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What was particular concerning the rowing bronze medal received by China’s Duan Liang on the 2016 Rio Olympics? It was the primary particular person Olympic medal for an Asian rower.

Being a predominantly colonial sport, dominated by international locations just like the US, UK, Germany, and Australia, Rowing doesn’t have a lot world resonance. While China has seen cheap success in rowing on the Olympics over time, successful 2 golds and 12 medals in whole and their ladies’s quad sculls crew breaking the world file at Tokyo 2020, no different Asian nation has ever been on the rostrum on the quadrennial occasion, making the competitors on the Hangzhou Asian Games, exterior the hosts, tame.

In reality, of the 15 medal occasions on the 2018 Asian Games, together with the boys’s quad sculls during which India received gold, the highest spot of the rostrum was occupied by China in 9.

– Namit Kumar