LPU athletes win 62% of India’s gold medals at Asian Games 2026

Lovely Professional University (LPU) athletes accounted for a substantial portion of India’s success at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, securing 28 medals in total. The 32 LPU students contributed 13 gold, 11 silver, and 4 bronze medals across nine sporting disciplines.

The LPU delegation represented 58 Indian athletes competing in 15 sports. Their medals came in shooting, archery, hockey, wrestling, athletics, rowing, boxing, cricket, and weightlifting. LPU athletes won 62% of India’s gold medals, 41% of the silver medals, and 11% of the bronze medals, amounting to nearly one third of the overall Indian medal tally, according to a university release.

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Indian trap shooter and LPU student Neeru Dhanda delivered a historic performance, earning two gold medals and one silver in shooting. She became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting. Dhanda was also honoured as India’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the Games.

Other gold medal winners included Taniparthi Chikitha and Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, who each won two gold medals in compound archery. Aman Sehrawat claimed gold in the men’s freestyle 57 kg wrestling category, Sujeet Kalkal won gold in men’s freestyle 65 kg wrestling, Lovlina Borgohain secured gold in the women’s 75 kg boxing event, and Kiran Pahal was part of the gold medal-winning women’s 4×400 metres relay team.

Team events also featured prominently. Seven LPU students were members of the Indian men’s hockey team that won gold, while Sakshi Rana contributed to the women’s hockey team’s gold medal victory. Ishan Kishan was part of India’s gold-medal-winning cricket side.

These three team gold medals assured India’s qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The compound mixed team archery gold secured two Olympic quota places, with men’s and women’s hockey victories granting direct qualification.

Silver medals were won by Bommadevara Dhiraj, Elavenil Valarivan, and Himanshu Dhillon, each earning two silvers. Vidarsa K Vinod and Neeraj Chauhan also achieved multiple medals. Notable silver medals included Saikhom Mirabai Chanu in women’s 49 kg weightlifting, and Antim Panghal and Nitesh Siwach in wrestling. Bronze medals were won by Neeraj Chauhan, Pooja Singh, Dharmveer Choudhary, Salman Khan, and Satnam Singh.

Ashok Kumar Mittal, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Founder Chancellor of LPU, said, “This achievement reflects the larger purpose of education, which is to nurture individuals who can create pride for the nation through their talent, discipline and determination. At LPU, we envision an ecosystem where young people are encouraged not only to pursue their own aspirations but also to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s progress and standing on the world stage. Seeing our students carry the Indian flag with distinction is a matter of immense pride and a powerful reflection of that vision. Their journey inspires us to continue building opportunities where excellence, ambition, and national contribution go hand in hand.”

Shooting led the medal tally with nine medals, followed by archery with six, wrestling with four, athletics with three, hockey with two, and boxing, cricket, rowing, and weightlifting each contributing one medal. The 13 gold, 11 silver, and 4 bronze medals achieved by LPU students mark one of the university’s most significant sporting performances at an international event.

LPU’s integration of education and elite sport continues to provide pathways for Indian athletes to compete at the highest level, with representation at the Olympic Games and Asian Games podium finishes highlighting the university’s growing impact on Indian sport.