2023 seems to be India's year at the Asian Games in Huangzhou, China. This year's tournament, one of the most prestigious globally, saw a record number of gold, silver, and bronze medals won by Indian athletes, who- in many cases- made history as the first from India to do so.
As we celebrate India's success at the tournament, here are five times Team India made history at the Asian Games 2023.
1. Golf
n a historic move, female golfer Aditi Ashok won gold at the professional golf tournament at the Asian Games, in 2023. She is both the first Indian golfer and the first female Indian golfer to bring home gold in golf from the games. The Indian women's golf team is also placed at the top, due to the dedication of the Indian women golfers to bring home gold.
2. Archery
On October 7, Jyothi Surekha Vennam became the first woman archer to win gold in the women's compound individual event in archery during the Asian Games 2023. This was Vennam's third medal won in the tournament- previously, she had won two gold medals in the women's and mixed-team events.
3. Javelin
Annu Rani's 62.92-meter javelin throw put her in the history books, making her the first-ever Indian sportswoman to win gold for India in the women's javelin throw at the Asian Games 2023, in Huangzhou, China.
4. Shotput
On September 29, 2023, Kiran Baliyan made history winning bronze in the women's shotput event at the Asian Games 2023. Her bronze medal was the first India had won in 72 years, having won it last at the "inaugural edition at 1951 New Delhi when Barbara Webster won the bronze medal," according to the official website of the Olympics.
5. Table Tennis
In an amazing win, table tennis duo Sutirtha and Ayhika Mukherjee defeated the reigning world champion Chinese pair, Chen Meng and Yidi Wang, in the women's doubles quarterfinals at the Asian Games 2023. By reaching the semi-finals, they won bronze- the first Indian female duo at the Asian Games to do so, making sports history.
These are only a few of India's historic wins- other sports in which Indian sportswomen have made history by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals are shooting and tennis, amongst others. It's clear that 2023 is India's year of success at the Asian Games, paving the way for more to come.
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