India's women's kabaddi team retained their Asian Games gold medal with a 37-34 win over Iran in a thrilling final at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Nagoya on Saturday.
India built a 22-16 lead at half-time, but Iran hit back hard after the break, winning the second half 18-15. The fightback narrowed the gap but was not enough to overturn India's cushion, and the team held on to seal the gold.
After the win, the Indian players took a victory lap of the arena, chanting "Vande Mataram."
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India have now won the women's kabaddi gold at every Asian Games since the event's debut in 2010, with the sole exception of the 2018 Jakarta Games, where they finished with silver after losing the final to Iran 27-24.
The team's road to the final was similarly dominant. India went unbeaten through the group stage, beating Bangladesh, Iran and hosts Japan, before routing Nepal 48-24 in the semifinal on Friday. Saturday's win is India's third gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games. The squad is led by Pushpa Rana as captain, with Sonali Shingate as vice-captain.
India's men's team will look to complete a golden double later on Saturday, when they face Iran in the men's kabaddi final at the same venue.
India have dominated the sport at the Asian Games since its introduction in 1990, with the men's and women's teams together winning gold in all but one edition. The men's team won seven consecutive golds before their run was broken at Jakarta 2018, where Iran won gold and India had to settle for a joint bronze medal with Pakistan. India returned to the top of the podium at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
(With inputs from PTI)
