India completed a memorable kabaddi double at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, with both its men’s and women’s teams defeating Iran in the finals to claim gold.
The women’s team opened the golden run with a hard-fought 37-34 victory over Iran. Later, the men’s side produced a composed second-half performance to beat the same opponents 40-34 and retain their Asian Games crown.
The men endured a tense opening half, going into the break 17-18 behind. Captain Sunil Kumar’s team responded strongly after the interval, tightening its defence and finding greater fluency in attack to gradually pull away from Iran.
Iran kept the contest competitive and looked capable of producing another dramatic final against India. However, India maintained its composure in the decisive stages and avoided the controversy that had marked their previous Asian Games final in Hangzhou.
India had beaten Iran 33-29 in the Hangzhou final after a disputed raid with just over a minute remaining sparked protests and a lengthy stoppage. This time, there was no such interruption as India controlled the closing stages and secured a six-point victory.
The triumph further extended India’s remarkable record in men’s kabaddi at the Asian Games. It was their ninth gold medal in the event, with their only failure to win the title coming in Jakarta in 2018, where Iran defeated them in the semi-finals. India reclaimed the crown in Hangzhou and successfully defended it in Aichi-Nagoya.
The women had earlier completed their own impressive campaign with victory over Iran. India entered the final unbeaten, having defeated Iran 37-23 in the group stage before sweeping aside Japan 50-25 and Nepal 48-24 in the knockout rounds.
The final proved considerably tighter, with Iran staying within striking distance until the closing minutes. India’s experience and defensive discipline helped them hold on for a 37-34 victory.
The win secured India’s fourth Asian Games gold in women’s kabaddi and completed a golden sweep for the country.
Two finals, two victories over Iran and two gold medals made Saturday a landmark day for Indian kabaddi at Aichi-Nagoya.
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