From hockey to archery, weightlifting to athletics, Indian women have carried much of India's campaign at the 2026 Asian Games, overcoming setbacks and picking up medals across several disciplines.
Some of the performances have also ended long waits for India, with athletes breaking records and becoming the first Indian women to win individual Asian Games gold in their respective events.
On Saturday, 17-year-old Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian to win gold in the individual women's recurve event. A day earlier, the Indian women's hockey team ended a 44-year wait for Asian Games gold by beating China 1-0 in the final.
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In the early days of the Games, when medals were hard to come by for India, women athletes fought for some of the country's first breakthroughs. Mirabai Chanu won India's first medal in weightlifting, while the Indian women's cricket team lived up to its billing as one of the favourites by winning gold.
Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold medal in golf.
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The 23-year-old Mysuru golfer finished at 15-under 265, winning the event by one stroke. She also helped India win silver in the women's team event alongside Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar.
The individual gold was the first for Indian women's golf at the Asian Games and added to what was already a strong showing for the country in the sport.
Archery produced another landmark result through Kumkum Mohod. The 17-year-old defeated South Korea's Oh Yejin in a shoot-off to win India's first individual women's recurve gold at the Asian Games. Mohod also played a part in India's success in the team event, helping the country win gold in the women's recurve team competition. Her two gold medals made her one of India's standout performers at the Games.
Neeru Dhanda added another first in shooting by becoming the first Indian woman to win individual gold in women's trap. Dhanda scored 28 in the final, surpassing the previous Asian record of 24. She had earlier helped India secure silver in the team event alongside Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat.
Vithya Ramraj produced one of the biggest moments in Indian athletics after winning bronze in the women's 400m hurdles and breaking PT Usha's 42-year-old national record. Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds, bettering Usha's previous national mark of 55.42 seconds, which had stood since 1984. She later returned to the track as part of India's gold-medal winning women's 4x400m relay team. Ramraj anchored the quartet that also featured Kiran Pahal, Poovamma Machettira and Prachi, as India added another athletics gold to its campaign.
The Indian women's hockey team ended one of the country's longest medal waits at the Asian Games. India defeated China 1-0 in the final, with Lalremsiami scoring the decisive goal. Goalkeeper Savita Punia also played a crucial role, making a key save to preserve India's lead. The victory ended a 44-year wait for Asian Games gold in women's hockey. It also secured India direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
India's women's cricket and kabaddi teams also lived up to expectations. Both teams entered the Asian Games as favourites and went on to secure gold, adding to India's medal haul in team sports.
The cricket team's victory was another important result for a sport that has continued to expand its presence at multi-sport events, while the kabaddi team maintained India's strong record in the discipline.
The results have come from different parts of India's women's sporting programme, from shooting and archery to athletics, golf, sailing and team sports.
In sailing, Harshita Tomar and Shital Verma won bronze in the women's skiff event after initially finishing fourth. They moved into the medal positions after China's third-placed crew was disqualified, giving India its first medal in the event.
The early medals were particularly important for India after a slow start to the Games. Women athletes were among those who kept the medal tally moving before the country's campaign gathered pace across disciplines.
The results have made women athletes a major part of India's campaign at the 2026 Asian Games, with breakthroughs coming across the shooting range, athletics track, archery field, golf course, sailing waters and hockey turf.
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