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Indian history at the Asian Games: A dominant taleĀ 

India has been a force to be reckoned with since the inception of the Asian Games. It is one of only seven countries to have participated in every edition of the event. The Indian contingent has returned with gold medals every four years. India has so far won a whopping 672 medals at the games.

The dominance began at the inaugural edition of the games, which were hosted in the national capital of New Delhi. Indian competitors capitalized on the advantage of the home ground and finished second on the medal tally with 15 golds, 16 silvers, and 20 bronze medals.

Track and field athletes from India were undoubtedly the stars of the show, as they claimed 10 of India's 15 golds.

India's first gold of the 1951 Asian Games came at the hands of Sachin Nag when he stood on the top step of the podium for the 100m freestyle event.

India's next big medal haul came at the 1982 games, which were also being held in New Delhi. The country took home 57 medals, as opposed to 1951's 51 medals.

To nobody's surprise, the track and field athletes once again led the charge on India's behalf, clinching 21 podium finishes that included 4 golds, 9 silvers, and 8 bronze medals.

Badminton was an unanticipated addition to the medal tally, as Indian shuttlers won five bronze medals in those games.

India had to wait a while for their next big moment at the Asian Games, which came in Guangzhou in 2010. Indian athletes laid claim to 65 medals, 14 of which were golds.

This time, other than athletics: boxing, shooting, and kabaddi also made big noise on the medal tallies. While Indian boxers took home nine medals, Indian shooters made it to the podium eight times.

India's best outing at the event came at the most recent edition, the 2018 Jakarta Games. The Indian team brought back a total of 70 medals, made up of 16 gold, 23 silver, and 32 bronze.

Wrestling made a name for itself in this edition, as Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat claimed one gold each. Track and field athletes from India were as dominant as ever, winning 8 golds including the first medal in javelin throw from Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra.

India's biggest names at the Asian Games

Featuring in India's dominant history at the Asian Games is sprinter PT Usha. She has won 11 medals at the games and remains, to date, the Indian athlete with the most Asian Games medals. Her best performance came in 1986 in Seoul, where she took home four gold medals and one silver medal.

Milkha Singh is another legendary name in India's history at the games. He won the 200m and 400m in 1958 and clinched two more golds in 1962.

Indian competitors Neeraj Chopra, Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Mary Kom and Abhinav Bindra are other prominent names from the nation's history at the event.

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