Asian Games 2018, Day 14: Boxing, bridge bring glory on final day as India score best medal haul

Sep 1 (AZINS) It was fitting finale to 2018 Asian Games campaign as India added four medals in four different sports on day 14 - the last day of competitions - on Saturday.

Amit Panghal combined his soldier's grit with brilliant tactical acumen to bring India's only boxing gold while bridge players proved that age is just a number to finish on top.

A superlative silver in squash and a redeeming bronze in hockey helped India achieve their best ever medal haul at the Asian Games.

Indian finished with 69 medals at the 18th edition of Asian Games with 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze medals. India equalled their best gold medal haul by touching 15, something that last happened back in 1951, and the overall tally surpassed the 65 in Guangzhou by four this time.

India finished 8th in the medal table to be placed inside top-10 for the third consecutive time.

Amit's Stunning Win

Armyman Amit, the only Indian boxer to enter finals, was up against reigning Olympic and Asian champion Hasanboy Dusmatov, the man he narrowly lost to in the world championships quarterfinal almost a year ago.

However, the gutsy 22-year-old prevailed 3-2 as India ended its boxing campaign at the Games with a gold and a bronze, which was won by Vikas Krishan in the middle-weight category.

Amit showed immense tactical brilliance, especially in defence to outmanoeuvre the Uzbek, who has an iconic status in international boxing.

"I had lost to him before, so I had to take revenge. Coach Santiago (Nieva) and other coaches had prepared me well. In the semifinal, I did not play the first round well, here I did not repeat that mistake," Amit said after the bout.

Today's win marks the highest point of Amit's meteoric rise to the top, starting with an Asian Championships bronze last year.

Best in Bridge

Then came two men, who would be nearing retirement in any contemporary job, but made their Asian Games debut in a debut sport.

Two old friends - Pranab Bardhan and Shibnath Sarkar - quietly added a gold to India's tally as the focus remained on traditional sports.

Bardhan, at the age of 60, became the oldest man in Indian contingent to win a medal at the Games as he and his 56-year old partner finished the men's pair event with a score of 384.

They edged out China's Lixin Yang and Gang Chen, who finished with 378 points after five rounds of the competition.

"I could not sleep last night and ate only fruit in breakfast. It's tough, the blood circulation shoots up with tension, we beat China and Singapore, it's great result for us," said an elated Sarkar, who taught bridge to students at Jadavpur University, said.

Bardhan, who had a construction business, said, "Bridge is more challenging chess. It's the most competitive indoor game."

India finished third overall with one gold and two bronze medals. India had won a bronze each in men's team and the mixed team events.

Squash Surprise

The Indian women squash players, who had shocked powerhouse Malaysia in semifinals, settled for silver after losing to Hong Kong in the final.

Sunayna Kuruvilla and India number one Joshna Chinappa lost their respective singles as the team suffered its second defeat against Hong Kong in a space of three days.

A silver was a creditable performance nonetheless, having surprised defending champions Malaysia in the semifinals on Friday. With a runners-up finish, India equalled their best ever performance at the Games. They had also reached the final at Incheon four years ago.

The Indian contingent ended with five medals overall including the women's team silver, the men's team bronze and three bronze medals in the individual event.

Bronze finish in hockey

The Indian men's hockey team maintained its recent domination over arch-rivals Pakistan with a 2-1 win, ensuring a consolatory bronze medal after a below-par performance in the tournament.

Akashdeep Singh scored a brilliant field goal in the third minute while Harmanpreet extended India's advantage in the 50th minute off a penalty corner before Muhammad Atiq increased the heart rate of the fans with a strike in the 52nd minute. In the end, India managed to hold on to the lead.

World number five India, who came into the tournament as defending champions, lost to Malaysia in the semifinals.

They go back home with a bronze, having beaten 13th ranked Pakistan for the second time in the last three months. India had beaten Pakistan 4-0 in the Champions Trophy in June.