Coming amid the political and economic gloom at home, Indian athletes’ performance in the Nagoya Asian Games was gratifying indeed. After winning only a handful of medals in the first half of the event, they produced a late gold rush to end fourth in the final tally with 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze medals for an overall haul of 85. Although this was less than the 107 medals India won in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 — when it sent 655 athletes compared to 495 this time — this was no less satisfying because of the breakthroughs achieved in several disciplines.

For India, the Nagoya Games will be remembered for the stellar performance of Vithya Ramraj in the 400 m hurdles, the 4 x 400 m mixed relay and the women’s 4 x 400 m relay for which she won a bronze, a silver and a gold respectively. Her timing of 54.75 seconds in the 400 m hurdles surpassed one of the most stubborn and most cherished benchmarks of Indian athletics. For 42 years, PT Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds, set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, stood as India’s heartbreaking nearly-there moment. The one-hundredths of a second that separated Usha from a medal at the Olympics signified India’s yearning for a place in the world arena. By going past Usha’s mark, Vithya has opened a threshold for the new generation of Indian sprinters to go through. Equally inspiring was Vithya’s electrifying run in the anchor leg of the women’s 4x400m relay event.

Apart from Vithya’s smashing of a psychological barrier, there were several other breakthrough moments for India. Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod snapped South Korea’s 28-year hegemony in archery, becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual recurve gold medal at the Asian Games. It was a monopoly deemed unbreakable. Kumkum not only took the individual gold, but she also led India to the gold in the women's recurve event. Similarly, Pranavi Urs won India's first-ever gold medal in women’s golf while also helping to take the team silver. In shooting, Neeru Dhanda won the individual gold in the women's trap event, ending a 48-year drought for India.

India can also take heart from advances in some track and field disciplines where its presence has lately been sparse. Baranica Elangovan won the bronze in women's pole vault, India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the discipline. The emergence of role models is an important factor in the development of sport. A sterling example is Neeraj Chopra in the javelin. Although the champion was absent at Nagoya due to injury, two young throwers stepped up to secure a double-podium finish for India: Yashvir Singh took the silver and Rohit Yadav the bronze.

There were indications in Nagoya that India is developing depth and breadth in sporting talent. India’s clean sweep in both men’s and women’s events in hockey, cricket and kabaddi testifies to that fact. Another notable fact from Nagoya, one that has been reinforced repeatedly since Usha’s days, is the rapid progress of Indian sportswomen. Of the 85 medals won overall, women won 43 compared to 36 by men (and 6 mixed). That makes a limited point, but an important one.