New Delhi, Indian Army athletes were among the major medal winners at the recently concluded Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, returning with their best-ever medal haul of 20 at the continental showpiece.
Army athletes also set national and Asian Games records. Havildar Sawan Barwal set a national record in the men’s marathon with a timing of 2:11:37, while Subedar Dhiraj Bommadevara established a national record in men’s recurve archery with a score of 698/720. Havildar Kamaljeet set an Asian Games record in the 10m air pistol mixed team event with a score of 484.6, while Neeru set an Asian Games record in women’s trap shooting with a score of 118/125. “Army representation at the 2026 Games also grew significantly. Its athletes constituted 12.6 per cent of India’s contingent, compared with nine per cent in 2023,” the release said.
“Army athletes accounted for 23.52 per cent of India’s total medals, winning 20 of the country’s 85 medals, while their six gold medals made up 29 per cent of India’s 21 gold medals,” said a release.
