22 firsts, one historic Asian Games: The Indian breakthroughs that made Aichi-Nagoya special

India's 85 also reflected a more interesting number -- 22 -- which is the number of podium finishes that India had never achieved before at the Asian Games.

You can dissect India's 85-medal haul as you want. The simplest is perhaps -- 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze -- with a fourth-place finish at the 2026 Asian Games. And despite it being India's second-best performance in Asiad history, the medal tally is bound to draw comparisons with the highs of the Hangzhou Games in 2023, where India won 18 more medals and seven more golds.

India's Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai celebrate with others after winning gold medal in the trap mixed team shooting event during the 20th Asian Games, in Nagoya, Japan (PTI)

Yet, the 85 also reflected a more interesting figure -- 22 -- the number of podium finishes India had never achieved before at the Asian Games.

This included entirely new sports finding their footing -- with Suchika Tariyal's MMA bronze and Jay Meena's soft tennis bronze being India's first-ever Asian Games medals in those disciplines. There were also historic bronze medals in rowing, with Satnam Singh and Salman Khan finishing third in men's doubles sculls, while the Indian men's quadrant team took home a Sepaktakraw medal.

Then there are weight-category and format firsts that carry their own significance. Lovlina Borgohain's gold in women's 75kg boxing, Aman Sehrawat's gold in men's 57kg freestyle wrestling, and Pranavi Urs' individual gold in golf are India's first-ever titles in their respective categories.

And then, the double gold sweep in hockey, with the women's team ending a 44-year drought and securing direct qualification for the Olympics.

Take a look at all 22 firsts for India at the 2026 Asian Games...