Heading into the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, several athletes who featured at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games are expected to be among the frontrunners for medals in the Indian contingent. India's squad for the continental meet draws on a combination of experienced competitors and up-and-coming talents across weightlifting, athletics, boxing, and judo, many of whom performed well at the recent Commonwealth Games. At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, India wrapped up its campaign with a total of 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver, and nine bronze. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, a holder of Olympic medals, stands as one of the leading contenders representing the country at the Games. A weightlifter from Manipur claimed the top podium position in the women's 48kg event at the 2026 Glasgow Games. Her trophy collection includes a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics along with numerous honours earned at World Championships. At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Murali Sreeshankar claimed a silver medal in the long jump with a distance of 8.09 metres. Preeti Pawar secured the gold medal in the women's 54kg boxing event at Glasgow 2026. Jadumani Singh claimed a second-place finish in the 55kg men's boxing event at the Glasgow 2026 Games. Lovlina Borgohain, who claimed a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, went on to earn a silver medal in the 75kg women's boxing event at the Commonwealth Games. At the Glasgow 2026 Games, Gulveer Singh claimed a silver medal in the 10,000m and a bronze in the 5000m. Asmita Dey claimed the top podium position in the 48kg judo event for women at the Glasgow 2026 Games. Scheduled for 19 September in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the 20th Asian Games will bring together athletes representing 45 nations to contest 469 medal events spread across 43 sports disciplines. Japan is now hosting the gathering for the third occasion, with the two previous editions held in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. India wrapped up the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games in fourth place, collecting a total of 107 medals — comprising 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze. Five athletes from the delegation have each earned an Olympic medal in individual events. Badminton will be represented by PV Sindhu as captain, with Mirabai Chanu taking charge of the weightlifting contingent. Among the athletes set to represent their country, Manu Bhaker is entered in shooting, Lovlina Borgohain in boxing, and Aman Sehrawat in wrestling. Neeraj Chopra, the reigning javelin throw title holder, will not compete following an ankle injury. The nation's boxing squad returned home having claimed ten medals at the Commonwealth Games, seven of which were gold. More than 70 athletes from track and field disciplines are set to compete, with Gulveer Singh, Tejaswin Shankar, and Olympian Sarvesh Kushare counted among the prominent competitors. Tajinderpal Singh Toor enters the competition as a two-time consecutive champion looking to retain his shot put crown. The country will look to retain championship honours across men's and women's cricket, kabaddi, and men's hockey. Shreyas Iyer has been named to lead the T20 side, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also earning a place in the men's cricket squad. Harmanpreet Kaur has been named to lead the title-holding women's cricket side. Competitors in both hockey competitions will earn automatic berths at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with each tournament functioning as an official qualifying pathway. Qualification pathways for the LA 2028 Games remain open to the country across five disciplines — archery, sailing, squash, surfing, and tennis. Squash competitor Anahat Singh is set to feature again, having helped the women's team claim a bronze medal at the Hangzhou 2023 Games and securing a further bronze in mixed doubles with Abhay Singh.
