India’s women contributed to 45 of the 106 medals in 2022, including nine of the overall 28 gold medals won by the nation in Hangzhou. This means that while India’s overall medal count in women’s sports dropped by 18 per cent, their overall contribution rose from 42.45 per cent to 43.52 per cent.

Women’s contribution to gold medals rose drastically from 32.14 per cent to 52.38 per cent. The performance was powered by some record-breaking performances from athletes such as golfer Pranavi Urs, trap shooter Neeru Dhanda, archer Kumkum Mohod and boxers Lovlina Borgohain and Parveen Hooda, who all won gold medals in their respective individual events.

But how did Indian women perform overall at the 2026 Asian Games, and what were the major changes in their outing compared with the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games? Let’s take a look.

A smaller contingent targeting more medals

The Indian sports authorities in 2025 announced that they would use a new eligibility criterion for the selection of athletes for the Asian Games 2026, under which they would send only athletes or teams ranked in the top six in their respective sport according to their Asian rankings, so that they could focus on those more capable of winning a medal.

While the change in approach was heavily criticised by athletes and sports experts, the sports authorities maintained their stance and sent a relatively smaller contingent to the Asian Games 2026 than they had sent to Hangzhou.

As a result, the Indian women’s contingent shrank from 326 in Hangzhou to 231 in Aichi-Nagoya.

Indian women’s contingent: 2022 vs 2026

Number of medals dropped but medals per head increased

India’s women’s medal tally fell from 45 in Hangzhou to 37 in Aichi-Nagoya, a decline of 17.8 per cent. But the fall in medals was smaller than the reduction in the size of the contingent. The number of women athletes dropped from 326 to 231, meaning India had 95 fewer women competing in 2026.

This meant that medals per head increased. India won 13.80 medals for every 100 women athletes in 2022, compared with 16.45 in 2026. The increase was 2.65 medals for every 100 athletes, despite the overall medal tally falling.

The change was particularly visible in sports where India either maintained or reduced the size of its women’s contingent. Golf had three women athletes in both editions but increased its medal tally from one to two. Squash also had four women in both editions and doubled its medals from one to two. Boxing went from six athletes to five but retained its three-medal tally.

Sailing produced two medals with six women athletes in 2026, compared with one medal from seven athletes in 2022. Weightlifting, which had two women athletes and no medal in 2022, sent four athletes in 2026 and returned with Mirabai Chanu’s silver. Kurash had the same three-athlete contingent but produced a medal after failing to do so in 2022.

India women’s medals sports-wise (2022 vs 2026)

The number of gold medals continues to rise

The rise in gold medals is the clearest change in the women’s medal profile across the recent Asian Games. Indian women won four gold medals in 2018, nine in 2023 and 11 in 2026.

The increase came despite the sharp reduction in the number of women athletes between 2022 and 2026. The women’s gold tally rose from nine to 11, while silver medals fell from 17 to 11 and bronze medals from 19 to 15.

That change was visible across several sports. Women’s hockey moved from bronze in 2022 to gold in 2026. Boxing went from one silver and two bronze medals to two golds and one bronze. Archery’s women’s medal haul changed from two golds and two bronzes to three golds.

Golf produced a new individual champion through Pranavi Urs, while Neeru Dhanda won the women’s trap title in shooting. Kumkum Mohod added an individual recurve gold to India’s women’s archery haul, and the women’s 4x400m relay provided athletics’ only women’s gold.

Archers and boxers lead the medal growth

Archery and boxing illustrate two different ways in which India’s women improved their medal performance in 2026.

In archery, India actually won one fewer women’s medal than in 2022, but the medal tally became entirely gold. The four medals in 2022 consisted of two golds and two bronzes, while the three medals in 2026 were all gold.

Kumkum Mohod was at the centre of that change. The 17-year-old won individual recurve gold and helped India win the women’s recurve team gold. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi won the women’s compound team title. The result gave India three women’s archery golds from six athletes.

Boxing’s improvement was different. The number of medals remained at three, but their colour changed. In 2022, India’s women boxers won one silver and two bronze medals. In 2026, Lovlina Borgohain and Parveen Hooda won gold, while Priya Ghanghas added bronze.

Golf also improved from one women’s medal to two, with Pranavi Urs winning individual gold and joining Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar for team silver. Squash went from one medal to two, while sailing also doubled its medal tally from one to two. Weightlifting, kurash and MMA added women’s medals in 2026 after having none in 2022.

The reverse was seen in some of India’s established medal-producing sports. Shooting fell from 11 women’s medals in 2022 to eight in 2026. Athletics dropped from 13 to 11, while wrestling fell from three to one. Table tennis, equestrian and sepak takraw, which had produced women’s medals in 2022, did not do so in 2026. Roller sports also lost its women’s medal.

Biggest improvement in medal efficiency

Biggest decline

The names that took the spotlight in Aichi-Nagoya

The 2026 campaign also produced a group of women who created milestones rather than simply extending existing medal sequences.

Kumkum Mohod, only 17, became the first Indian woman to win individual recurve gold at the Asian Games. She also contributed to the women’s recurve team gold and won a mixed recurve silver.

Anahat Singh, 18, reached the women’s singles squash final, becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games singles final in the event.

Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win individual Asian Games golf gold. Her victory came alongside a team silver with Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar.

Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games shotgun gold with her victory in women’s trap. She also won team silver.

Baranica Elangovan won India’s first women’s Asian Games medal in pole vault, while Suchika Tariyal produced another first by winning India’s first Asian Games medal in women’s traditional MMA.

Vithya Ramraj added another significant performance. She won bronze in the 400m hurdles and was part of the women’s 4x400m relay gold-medal team, while her 54.75-second hurdles performance improved on PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record.

These performances suggest that the women’s medal programme is not merely being carried by the same names who have delivered for India over the last decade.

The success stories that continue to grow

The new names were complemented by athletes who have shown that one successful Asian Games can become the beginning of a longer medal sequence.

Roshibina Devi won a medal at her third successive Asian Games, moving from bronze in 2018 to silver in 2023 and another silver in 2026. Her consistency makes her the first Indian woman to win medals at three successive Asian Games.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam continued her long association with India’s compound archery success, returning with another women’s team gold after being part of medal-winning teams in previous editions.

Pincky Balhara returned to the podium after her 2018 silver, winning bronze in women’s -78kg kurash.

Lovlina Borgohain upgraded her 2023 silver to gold in the women’s 75kg category, while Antim Panghal moved from bronze in 2023 to silver in 2026.

Parul Chaudhary’s medal colours changed, but her ability to reach the podium remained. After winning gold and silver in 2023, she returned with two bronzes in 2026.

Esha Singh followed two silvers in 2023 with another silver in 2026, while Ancy Sojan repeated her 2023 long-jump silver. Elavenil Valarivan expanded her medal collection by winning both individual and team silver in the 10m air rifle.

Mirabai Chanu represents a different kind of success story. She had competed at earlier Asian Games without winning a medal, but finally added one to her résumé with silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category.

The age profile is now more encouraging

The combination of young medal winners and established champions is perhaps the most encouraging feature of India’s women’s programme.

Kumkum Mohod was 17 when she won individual recurve gold. Anahat Singh was 18 when she reached the squash singles final, while Pranavi Urs was 23 when she won individual golf gold.

Haritha Bhadra, who won bronze in the 200m, and other members of India’s emerging athletics group also provide a younger pool for the national programme.

At the other end are athletes such as Mirabai Chanu, Neeru Dhanda and established members of India’s archery, boxing and athletics programmes.

That combination gives India something it did not have to the same extent earlier: young athletes gaining experience alongside established competitors who have already dealt with the pressure of major continental and international competition.

The challenge now is to ensure that the young medal winners do not remain one-edition successes. The next Asian Games and the Olympic cycle will test whether these breakthroughs can become sustained careers.

The athletics conundrum

Athletics was one of the few sports for India where the number of medals fell despite a rise in the number of athletes. The nation had 33 women athletes in athletics in 2022, compared with 40 in 2026. However, their number of medals fell from 13 to 11.

But the picture was not entirely bleak, as despite the declining number of medals, Aichi-Nagoya presented a showing that proved India had a secure future in women’s athletics, especially in sprinting.

For years, discussions about Indian women’s sprinting often centred on finding the next major individual name after the established generation.

The 2026 Games suggest that the future may not depend on one athlete. Haritha Bhadra’s bronze in the 200m and Prachi Choudhary’s bronze in the 400m added individual depth, while the women’s 4x400m relay gold demonstrated that India has a group capable of performing together at the highest continental level.

Vithya Ramraj’s hurdles performance further strengthens the picture. She is not a conventional 400m sprinter, yet her speed endurance and relay contribution make her part of the wider pool available to the national programme.

The lesson is significant: India’s next step in women’s sprinting should not be framed solely around identifying one successor. It should be about developing a group of athletes capable of pushing one another in individual events while producing a stronger relay unit.

The mixed events add another layer to the rise of Indian women

The women’s contribution to India’s Asian Games campaign cannot be measured only through the 37 medals in women’s events.

Mixed competitions also created opportunities for Indian women to contribute directly to the medal tally. Shooting provided several examples, with women joining male partners in mixed team events. Neeru Dhanda won mixed trap gold with Kynan Chenai, while Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh combined in the mixed 10m air pistol event. Archery also featured mixed-team competition, while mixed events in other sports provided further opportunities.

Kumkum Mohod’s mixed recurve silver and Parinaaz Dhaliwal’s mixed skeet bronze added to the medal contribution from women outside the women’s-only tally. Harita Bhadra was also part of India’s mixed 4x100m relay bronze.

These medals are deliberately separate from the women’s 37 because mixed events cannot simply be counted as women’s medals. But they are important when assessing the overall role of women in India’s medal-winning programme.

The participation of women in mixed events shows that their contribution is increasingly extending across team combinations rather than remaining confined to women’s competitions.