Hit, Miss or Meh | Analyzing India's performance at the 2018 Asian Games

ByFaizan Qadiri, SportsCafe Editor

09/04/2018

With India winning a historic 69 medals at the 18th Asian Games held in Jakarta, it is important to look at the performances of the contingents separately. So here at SportsCafe we have decided to have a look at all the teams that went to Jakarta to see how they ended up doing before returning home.

Athletics

Contribution - 7 Gold, 10 Silver, 2 Bronze

This has to be the easiest one on the list. WHAT A PERFORMANCE! Most fans, who follow Indian athletics regularly, were left disappointed with the performance of the team at the Commonwealth Games. This time, however, they turned it around in spectacular fashion winning an incredible 19 medals - SEVEN of which were gold in colour. From the dominant performances of Neeraj Chopra and Tajinderpal Singh to the one-two finish by Manjit Singh and Jinson Johnson, it was one of the best performances by the Indian athletics team in memory. Adding to the fact that only two of the medals were bronze, the AFI and SAI deserve a lot of credit for what they have been able to do in recent history.

VERDICT - HIT

Aquatics (Swimming & Diving)

Contribution - 0 Medals

India sent in a strong contingent of ten members for the Swimming events at the Asian Games led by names such as Vikram Khade, Sandeep Sejwal, and Sajan Prakash. In the last two Asian Games, India had come back with a bronze medal on both occasions. That should have been a stepping stone for this year’s event but it proved to be anything but that. The chasm between the other Asian swimmers and their Indian counterparts was so huge that it might have put us even further back. As far as Diving is concerned, they need some time to come close to the world standard as well.

VERDICT - MISS

Archery

Contribution - 2 Silver

While two silver medals are not really a bad return for the Archery team, considering the dominance that the Koreans have shown in the sport for a long time, a lot more was expected from the Indian archers. Two silver medals in the team events add some shine that might not necessarily be deserved. No Male archer was able to get past the quarter final stage of the individual recurve event and none of the female stars could even go that far. This is a sport where India can truly challenge for World Supremacy but they need to get it right at the biggest stages.

VERDICT - MEH

Badminton

Contribution - 2 Silver

Yet another case of history makers protecting an abject performance from a team that was touted to replace the mighty Chinese at the top of the badminton food chain. What we saw was PV Sindhu doing what she does best and Saina punching above her weight again. However, that was all that was good about the Badminton Campaign. The teams failed to make it past one game. The Women might make a case that they were up against Japan but the Men lost to Indonesia - a loss that leaves them without a genuine excuse.

VERDICT - MISS

Basketball

Contribution - 0 Medals

It was always going to be a big ask for the Women’s team to compete with some of the best in Asia and in a group that included Unified Korea, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, and hosts Indonesia, it would have been a miracle for them to book a place in the final round. They did, however, push Indonesia to the limit and gave fans some sort of hope that we are moving in the right decision. But as of now, we are not where we want to be in a sport that is garnering a lot of following back home.

VERDICT - MEH

Boxing

Contribution - 1 Gold, 1 Bronze

This is the most difficult one to judge! Not for me, but the actual judges out there. This is not professional boxing where there is a strategy involved due to the 12 gueling rounds that boxers have to go through. In a three-round fight, there is hardly anything to choose between the pugilists. Now that the major issue is out of the way, India did not have a great campaign at the Games. But that all changed when Amit thrashed the reigning Olympic Champion to seal the gold medal. And had Vikas not been pulled out for an injury to his eye, India could have very well returned with two gold medals.

VERDICT - HIT

Bowling

Contribution - 0 Medals

Well considering the fact that there weren’t too many who believed that there could be medals coming out of the sport, there was a meh reaction at the start of the Games as far as Bowling was concerned. So to end it, with the highest finish of 13th across two events, a meh adds a sense of symmetry to the performance.

VERDICT - MEH

Bridge

Contribution - 1 Gold, 2 Bronze

Since it was the first time that a card game had been added to the Games, there was a lot of uncertainty about what to expect from the team. But if there is one thing that we as Indians do well, sit and playing cards. And we proved that at the biggest possible stage we could get by securing a gold and two bronze medals on the sports’ debut at the Games.

VERDICT - HIT

Canoeing

Contribution - 0 Medals

This was always going to be a big ask for the Indian contingent considering the fact that India have won just one bronze in the sport in their history. But the athletes gave a good account of themselves with quite a few final appearances. Although a medal would have been great, the performance has laid the foundation for the future teams to better.

VERDICT - HIT

Arpinder Singh clicnched gold in men's triple jump © Getty

Cycling

Contribution - 0 Medals

This is a sport where India have a long way to go to catch up with the west. It is an expensive sport that requires a lot of time and infrastructure and India are not really ready for it. While the Indian athletes’ commitment cannot be questioned, the delta between them and the rest of Asia is a lot. We might have to wait for a while before can can get something out of this sport.

VERDICT - MISS

Equestrian

Contribution - 2 Silver

India have a fairly good history in the sport and it was slightly disappointing to see them return with just a couple of silver medals. Also since it is usually the Europeans who dominate the sport, the Indians will need to significantly up their game to make a splash at the Olympics in two years. But for now, it would be unfair to come down too hard on the side.

VERDICT - MEH

Fencing

Contribution - 0 Medals

With just one event to participate in, the Women’s team beat the hosts in the Round of 16 clash. In the quarters, they came up against the eventual Champions China and with the lack of repechage event, that was the end of their campaign. So again, cannot really blame them for effort.

VERDICT - MEH

Saina Nehwal claimed bronze in women's singles © Getty

Golf

Contribution - 0 Medals

What most fans might not realize is that India have three gold medals in the sport and were extremely close to adding to that tally this year. Aadil Bedi was right there at the start of the Round 3 standing tall at Tied 2nd and so were the Men’s team. However, over the last two days, it all fell apart and in a sport where patience and consistency are the key, the results were basically “below par”.

VERDICT - MISS

Gymnastics

Contribution - 0 Medals

What a wasted opportunity! Never before had Indians switched on their televisions to see Gymnastics. After Dipa Karmakar’s incredible performance at the Rio Games and the subsequent injury, it was the Asian Games that was seen as the return of the Queen. But it proved to be an anticlimax as the Indian had still not completely recovered. It is easy to classify this as a meh, but the damage that it could have done to a sport that has pushed us over to the dark side.

VERDICT - MISS

Handball

Contribution - 0 Medals

This was a doomed attempt right from the start. The team’s entry to the event was seen by many as a “questionable one” as Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey got them a backdoor entry into the tournament. Both teams looked miles from a place at the podium and even though the Men’s team did beat Pakistan, that was the only consolation they got. Their performance was so dire that the IOA is considering the idea of downgrading them from priority to other.

VERDICT - MISS

Hockey

Contribution - 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

There is a good reason why no one remembers the 1954 Hungarian football team that scored the most number of goals at a World Cup, 27, to this day. They ended up losing the final. So scoring 74 goals in the group stages is of no consequence if you don’t win the title at the end of the day. The women’s team silver is still a commendable effort but in the overall scheme of things, I guess you already know where we are heading.

VERDICT - MISS

Judo

Contribution - 0 Medals

After the performance of the athletes in the Martial Arts events, the expectations from Judo caught some fire. But it all came crashing down in a flash. But again, at the start of the event, not many had thought India coming back with a lot of medals from Judo

VERDICT - MEH

Kabaddi

Contribution - 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

This was supposed to be the sport where India would run riot. No one even fathomed the idea that the teams would return with anything short of two gold medals. But what transpired was something that will rebeverate through Indian sports for a while. The introduction of the PKL has helped countries like Iran and Korea hone their skills in the sport. However, knowing fully well that the Indians are still far ahead of them in terms of technical superiority, they came up with tactical systems to beat Goliath. It is no longer an option to go into any major event expecting a win without a proper game plan in place.

VERDICT - MISS

Karate

Contribution - 0 Medals

Like Judo, not too much more to add here. Fans did not expect too much, and the athletes did not disappoint.

VERDICT - MEH

Martial Arts (Kurash, Pencak Silat, Wushu)

Contribution - 1 Silver, 5 Bronze

Going into the Games, no one was really sure what to expect from the contingent that included 30 athletes. While India had done well in Wushu in the past, they exceeded expectations by winning four bronze medals. Apart from that, it was Kurash where the Indian athletes managed to clinch a silver as well as a bronze. If we can keep this steady flow coming, there is no reason why a top-5 finish at the Asian Games is a dream anymore.

VERDICT - HIT

Roller Sports

Contribution - 0 Medals

There was just one event for either gender in this sport - the 20km race. India sent two skaters from both teams but they came back empty handed. Since it was the first attempt at the sport, they can be allowed to escape without any serious questions.

VERDICT - MEH

Rowing

Contribution - 1 Gold, 2 Bronze

India had won just one gold medal, out of a combined 20, at the Asian Games in Rowing since 1952. And with the world standard crossing all sorts of boundaries, it would have been a fool’s dream to think that would be bettered. But four Indian fools by the name of Sawarn Singh, Dattu Bhokanal, Om Prakash, and Sukhmeet Singh broke the barriers to win India another gold medal - that too in a team event. With two more bronze medals, it proved to be a successful campaign for the Indian contingent.

VERDICT - HIT

Sailing

Contribution - 1 Silver, 2 Bronze

If a contingent consisting of just nine players returns back with three medals, that has to be called a successful campaign. The sheer number of events and races they had to go through to get their medals would have made it all the more sweet for them, and us obviously.

VERDICT - HIT

Sepak Takraw

Contribution - 1 Bronze

One of the best medals of the Games. Most fans did not even know what the sport was all about and the team went there and secured a bronze. This was like a perfect script for a lifetime movie.

VERDICT - HIT

Shooting

Contribution - 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 3 Bronze

If you just look at the contribution that shooting has made at the Games, it is hard to term it as anything other than a hit. However, it is important to put it all in context - India went in as one of the favorites for landing a record haul because of the incredible performance at the CWG earlier this year. But the big names faded away under the bright lights. While two gold medals is not a bad return, the expression of, what looked like disgust, on Heena Sidhu’s face after winning the bronze told a different story. This is not tennis where your opponent can have a good game and you are in trouble, here your destiny is literally on your own hands and the scores show that they did not really do their skill justice.

VERDICT - MISS

Sports Climbing

Contribution - 0 Medals

This was the first time that the sport of climbing was introduced to the Asian Games and it was expected to be more of an experience gathering Games than anything else. And that is exactly what we got!

VERDICT - MEH

Squash

Contribution - 1 Silver 4 Bronze

Squash is not like the next sport on our list where one country just does not give up its control. India were expected to do extremely well but what they came back with was something that can only be termed as average considering the talent available in the contingent. However, the revelations by the players that they lack proper coaching cannot be disregarded and taking that into account, they are spared the wrath of a miss.

VERDICT - MEH

Table Tennis

Contribution - 2 Bronze

HISTORIC! After their astonishing display at the Gold Coast Games, it was important that the momentum was not allowed to slip away. And that is what the Indian paddlers did. The two bronze medals they won were the maiden ones for India at the Games. Had they not run into Chinese paddlers, who just dominated the event, India could have had a better result. But for now, let us start believing that we are here to stay.

VERDICT - HIT

Taekwondo

Contribution - 0 Medals

History told us that it was going to be hard to get a medal at the Games. The present proved that history was right. Can’t really fault their efforts though!

VERDICT - MEH

Tennis

Contribution - 1 Gold, 2 Bronze

While India might have won just three medals at the Asian Games in tennis, which is lower than the count at the Incheon Games, it is important to put the win in context. Leander Paes walked out on the team a day before the Games leaving the team with a man short. Most teams would have crumbled at the sight of a veteran leaving, the Indian team pulled together to secure a gold and two bronze medals. A commendable achievement by a team under some serious pressure.

VERDICT - HIT

Volleyball

Contribution - 0 Medals

With the women’s team ending up in 10th place and the Men’s team not even making it past the Classification Round, it is a shocker that the IOA had even decided to let them go to Jakarta. The AIFF has a genuine beef from the IOA now after this performance and it can only earn them one verdict by our estimate.

VERDICT - MISS

Weightlifting

Contribution - 0 Medals

Granted that two main contenders for medals, Mirabai Channu and Sanjita Channu, were not a part of the contingent of different reasons, there was still something expected given there were 15 weightlifting events at the Games. A highest finish of fifth, among the five athletes who had been sent to Jakarta, is not really a result that can earn them any other tag but a miss.

VERDICT - MISS

Wrestling

Contribution - 2 Gold, 1 Bronze

This is one that was a real head-scratcher. On one side you have Bajrang Punia showing why he is considered to be one of the best in the world and Vinesh Phogat, who became the first Indian Woman to win gold at the Asian Games, rekindling the question of what if she had remained fit in Rio. On the other side, however, you have another 15 wrestlers, with the exception of Divya Kakran, who came up short. A mixed bag if there ever was one! However, it is hard to deny the fact that India have one more first time in the bag and that is why we watch sports - for something extraordinary.