GOLD: Boxer Amit Panghal won the men’s light flyweight final against Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov by a 3:2 split decision.

Pranab Bardhan and Shibnath Dey Sarkar also won the yellow metal in the men’s pair bridge.

SILVER: The Indian women’s squash team, comprising Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallika, Sunayna Kuruvilla and Tanvi Khanna, lose to Hong Kong 0-2 in the final to get silver.


8.31 pm: And the Asian Games are over! India had a wonderful Games with many surprising performances, national records and personal bests. There were also disappointments but that is how sport goes.

8.29 pm: Diving

The Men’s 10m Platform competition has ended. India’s Pardeshi has finished in 9th position.

8.25 pm: Hockey

And Japan have completed the amazing comeback! They win the shootout and with that, the GOLD MEDAL. What. A. Turnaround!

Remember, India beat them 8-0 earlier in the competition. But Japan’s never-say-die spirit has come to the fore since then. A famous double for Japan – they have won the men’s and women’s gold medal.

7.59 pm: Hockey

The match has moved on since and Japan equalised to make it 6-6 in the dying seconds of Q4. Madness. No one can believe it. No one. 6-6.

7.59: Hockey

Meanwhile, the men’s hockey final is proving to be quite the classic.

7.36 pm: Football

South Korea have won the Gold medal, they beat Japan 2-1 in Final. That also means Son Heung-min will avoid military service.

7.18 pm: Diving

One last Indian competitor, Bajrang Pardeshi, left in the competition in the Men’s 10m Platform.

7.12 pm: Boxing

Amit, India’s only finalist at these Asian Games, lost a unanimous decision to Hasanboy Dusantov a year ago in Tashkent but is maturing fast as a boxer and gave a hugely disciplined performance.

“The strategy worked, I thank my coaches,” Amit told AFP after the bout. “The defence and counter was perfect. I will now go for an Olympic gold for my country in Tokyo. Winning a gold for India, I am happy. Yes I have taken revenge. It proves India is second to none. I felt pressure because all our boxers had lost (before the final) but I did well.”

6.48 pm: Boxing

Two North Korean coaches were kicked out of the Asian Games Saturday after mounting a protest in the ring after one of their boxers lost the women’s flyweight final.

Coach Pak Chol Jun refused to leave the ring and incited boxer Pang Chol Mi to remain behind in protest against the judging after China’s Chang Yuan won gold on a 3-2 split decision.

Both were eventually forced to leave by police and security staff after the nasty standoff marred the finale to the Asiad boxing competition.

Another coach, Pak Il Nam, got into an angry frenzy outside the ring as he tried to whip up the crowd to jeer the decision.

Both coaches had their Asian Games credentials immediately revoked and will now face disciplinary action by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). – AFP

6.44 pm: Hockey

India cap off the Asian Games with a medal. But not the one they wanted. They played better than they did against Malaysia in the semi-final. The defence was upto the task when Pakistan were on an all out attack in the second quarter. The Pakistanis were unlucky on a couple of instances though. Once they even had the ball kissing the goal line. Had it gone in a couple of centimeters, the match could have gone in their favour. Overall, India – despite the bronze – would go home disappointed having missed a direct qualification for the Olympics. Back to the drawing board for Harendra Singh and his boys now.

Here’s how the match unfolded.

6.30 pm: Hockey

A bronze medal for the men’s team is better than no medal, of course, but the fall-out of India’s Asian Games campaign will be the difficulty in qualifying for Tokyo 2020 now.

Read more here.

6.20 pm:

If you are on Twitter, let us know your thoughts on this.

6.05 pm: Bridge

5.51 pm:

India’s medal tally is now up to 69.

  • Most number of medals won at an Asian Games
  • 15 GOLD medals: Join-highest (equalling the record in 1951)
  • 24 SILVER medals: Highest ever in Asiad history.

Stay tuned for the final event. We will keep you entertained with recaps till then. Don’t go anywhere.

5.41 pm: Hockey

Not an India-Pakistan classic by any means but a bronze for India nonetheless.

Here’s the match report, in case you missed it.

5.30 pm: India’s medal tally goes up to 69 with the bronze. Only one event left – Diving men’s 10m springboard, where Siddharth Pardeshi will be in action later at 7.20 pm IST.

5.25 pm: Hockey

5.24 pm: BRONZE MEDAL ALERT

That’s it! India edged past Pakistan 2-1 and win the bronze medal. Not the colour they wanted but certainly better than returning without a medal.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

5.21 pm: Hockey

India less than 3 minutes away from a consolation bronze medal, leading 2-1.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

5.15 pm: Hockey

Hang on now, Pakistan now score with a quick counter. Goal difference is back to just one, Atiq Muhammad the goalscorer.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

5.13 pm: Hockey

India have the 2-0 lead! Harmanpreet with a lovely drag-flick off a PC.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

5.08 pm: Hockey

Final quarter begins with India still holding a slender advantage.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

5.07 pm: Squash

ICYMI: For the second consecutive edition, India finished with the silver medal in the women’s team squash at the Asian Games after defeat to Hong Kong in the final on Saturday.

Sunayna Kuruvilla lost to Tze Lok Ho in the first game of the tie and Joshna Chinappa went down in straight games against Hong Kong’s no 1 Annie Au, as India lost the final 2-0.

This was India’s fifth medal in squash (women’s team silver, men’s team bronze and three bronze medals in the individual event) in the 18th edition and 68th medal overall.

Read the detailed report here.

5.00 pm: Swapna Barman, who was born with six toes on each foot, is to receive special custom-made shoes after a company boss was touched to hear of the pain she suffered while running in the heptathlon at the Asian Games where she won gold.

The 21-year-old spoke about how her rare deformity caused agony with each step in her final event, the 800m, after winning the gold at the ongoing Asiad in Indonesia.

A government-run enterprise in the southern city of Chennai has now come forward to help Barman get customised shoes.

“After she won the gold I saw on TV that she had a deformity in her feet,” said Sudhanshu Mani, general manager of Integral Coach Factory, a railway coach manufacturer that also funds training for athletes.

Mani told AFP that Barman needs four different pairs of shoes for the heptathlon’s seven events.

“We are in touch with Nike. We are waiting for her to come back so that we can get her size and get the customised shoes made for her,” he said, explaining that his company would bear the cost.

Barman comes from an impoverished family in the West Bengal city of Jalpaiguri and her plight has touched the nation.

Her rickshaw-puller father has been bedridden for several years since suffering a stroke. Her mother Basana Devi left her job as a tea garden worker to look after her husband. They have relied on the earnings of their son, a stone mason.

Read more here.

4.55 pm: Hockey

Third quarter underway. Can India stay in the lead? The last time the Indian men’s hockey team finished without a medal at the Asian Games was in 2006. They’d not want to repeat that.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

4.52 pm: Athletics

Swapna Barman, the first Indian woman to win Asian Games heptathlon gold, talks about her coach Subhas Sarkar

“Just before the Games, he left his family to spend a month in Patiala to oversee my preparations at the training camp. He has so many trainees under him but I always got special attention. I guess I’ve given him a lot of stress too. He has developed diabetes and I’m partially responsible for that.”

Sarkar, in response, said:

“She has given me many sleepless nights for sure. I lost count how many fights we’ve had over the years,” he said with a gentle laugh. And it got pretty serious on a couple of occasions, when she quit training. In 2015, she left for home and returned only after three months.”

Read more on Reuters here.

4.40 pm: Hockey

It’s half-time and India are leading 1-0. It has been a dull game so far. Not very sharp from either side, which is perhaps often the issue with bronze medal games. Clearly look like two teams who’d rather not be playing this game.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

4.35 pm: Hockey

Tight second quarter between India and Pakistan, the latter growing into the game.

Detailed hockey live blog here.

4.31 pm: JUST IN...

4.25 pm: BRIDGE

Pranab Bardhan (60 years old) and Shibnath Sarkar (56 years old) won the men’s pair event in bridge – which will be India’s last gold medal at the Asian Games.

“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,” an elated Sarkar, who is a teacher at Jadavpur University, told PTI.

Bardhan, who had a construction business, said, “Bridge is more challenging than chess. It’s the most competitive indoor game.”

4.20 pm: Hockey

End of Q1: India lead 1-0 after Akashdeep’s goal. Detailed hockey live blog here.

4.11 pm: MEDAL TALLY

Hockey is the last (realistic) medal event for India. Here’s how the table looks like right now.

4.07 pm: Hockey - Bronze medal match

India have the lead!

Detailed hockey live blog here.

4:00 pm: HOCKEY

Alright then, it’s time for the bronze medal match. These two teams were touted to meet in the final. It was a shock that they, especially India, lost in the semi-final stage. For they were the highest ranked team in the tournament and were expected to win and book a spot in the Olympics. Now they will have to fight for bronze. The last time the Indian men’s hockey team finished without a medal at the Asian Games was in 2006.

Follow the India v Pakistan hockey in our live blog here.

3.42 pm: Another replug – Fast-tracked into senior team, 19-year-old Lakshay showed his maturity with an Asian Games silver. Read Zenia D’Cunha’s piece here.

3.30 pm: Judo

The Indian mixed team loses the bronze-medal playoff against China in the mixed team event 0-4. No medal for India.

3 pm: Squash

Not to be for India as Hong Kong win the first two matches of the women’s team final to take the gold medal. It’s a silver for the Indian team.

2.50 pm: Squash

India’s No 1 Joshna Chinappa is taking on Hong Kong’s No 1 Annie Au in a must-win match. Joshna is currently trailing 0-2.

2.40 pm: Back to replugging some of the stories by our reporters and contributors done during these Games.

With Asian Games gold, Bajrang Punia shows he is ready to step into the shoes of Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, writes Meghna Kapoor

2.23 pm: Squash

Second seeds Hong Kong have the lead in the women’s team final against India as Tze Lok Ho defeats Sunanya Kuruvilla. It’s up to Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal to win this for India now.

2.18 pm: Squash

Sunanya Kuruvilla is the first player in action for India in the women’s team final. After losing the first two games, she has won the third to keep herself in the hunt against Hong Kong’s Tze Lok Ho.

2.04 pm: On the penultimate day of the 2018 Asian Games, hosts Indonesia have just announced that the country will bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

“Indonesia has planned to immediately register itself as a candidate for the 2032 Olympics host,” Indonesia President Joko Widodo was quoted as saying on Saturday by AFP.

Widodo reportedly held talks with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Olympic Council of Asia head Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah regarding the same.

1.55 pm: Boxing

How good has Amit Panghal been in recent years? Very, very, good indeed. And he is just 22. Read all about India’s latest Asiad gold medallist here.

1.52 pm: Diving

Siddharth Pardeshi finishes with a score of 376.20 after his six dives in the preliminary round of the men’s 10m springboard, which is the ninth best out of 10 competitors. However, all 10 divers enter the final.

Siddharth sixth dive, which had a high difficulty level of 3.5, did not go very well as he scored just 37.80.

1.35 pm: Squash

The women’s team final between India and Hong Kong is about to begin...

1.28 pm: Here is the Indian pair that won gold in bridge:

1.22 pm: This is also India’s best ever medal tally at the Asian Games so far. India have won 67 medals and there’s a chance that number could increase by the end of the day.

1.15 pm: With this, India’s gold medal count stands at 15, equalling their best ever tally. One more gold can come from the women’s team squash final, where India take on Hong Kong. The tie begins at 1.30 pm IST.

1.08 pm: Bridge

More good news pouring in for India as Pranab Bardhan and Shibhnath Sarkar win gold in the men’s pair event!

1.07 pm: Amit Panghal gets a bit emotional as the Indian national anthem is played. What a moment it must be for him!

12.56 pm: Diving

India’s Siddharth Pardeshi gets a score of 60 for his first dive in the men’s 10m Platform, which is one of the lowest in the group. He went for the Forward 3½ Somersaults in Pike position.

12.46 pm: Boxing

Here is how the five judges saw the bout...

12.45 pm: Boxing

Amit goes on the defensive in the third round, knowing he is in the lead and draws the Uzbek to attack him. Dusmatov, not one to go down lightly, takes the attack to the Indian and there are moments in the third round when it seems like the Olympic champion will turn it around in his favour. Amit looks pretty confident as the bout ends.

The judges reach a split decision – and it’s 3:2 in favour of Amit! It’s a gold medal for Amit Panghal!

12.38 pm: Boxing

Amit is quite sharp in the second round and seems to have taken the edge over Dusmatov as we enter the final round. Dusmatov hasn’t quite been able to land any big blows so far, while Amit has been able to get a couple at least on the Uzbek boxer’s face.

12.34 pm: Boxing

A pretty even first round comes to an end. Neither boxer seems on top right now and this final is building up really well. Two more rounds to go!

12.30 pm: Boxing

The men’s light flyweight final between Amit and H Dusmatov is underway...

12.25 pm: Boxing

Almost time for Amit Panghal’s bout against reigning Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the men’s 49 kg final. Scheduled start is 12.30 pm IST.

12.18 pm: Royal, cricketer, shooter, administrator, all in one: Read the story of Randhir Singh – the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal at the Asian Games.

12 pm: On day 1 of the Games, India’s Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar showed the value of consistency with a bronze medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. Read Zenia D’Cunha’s piece here.

11.47 am: While we wait for the next Indian athlete(s) to be in action, let’s recap these Asian Games.

Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar was knocked out in his very first bout, raising questions over the future of his wrestling career. Read Abhijeet Kulkarni’s piece here.

11.34 am: Volleyball

The Indian men’s volleyball team finished 12th at the 2018 Asian Games. The last time an Indian volleyball team won a medal at the Asian Games was 32 years ago in 1986. Here is an interview with one of the members of that team – PV Ramana.

11.18 am: Athletics

India’s athletics contingent contributed to seven of India’s 13 current gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and 19 of their total 65 medals as of Thursday. From Tajinder to Swapna Barman, here is a look at India’s seven athletics gold medals at Asian Games 2018.

11 am: Athletics

Bahrain finished joint-top of the Asian Games athletics table with 12 golds – but not everyone is rushing to congratulate them. That is because not a single track win at Asia’s regional Olympics would have been achieved without “naturalised” athletes who were born in Africa, reported AFP. Read here.

10.43 am: Table tennis

An Olympic medal for India in table tennis is not far away, feels Sharath Kamal. Read the entire interview by Vinayakk M here.

10.05 am: Canoe

The Indian team finishes ninth and last in the Kayak Four (K4) 500m Women’s final with a time of 1:51.729. China wins gold with 1:33.896.

10 am: Canoe

The Kayak Four (K4) 500m Women’s final begins. This is India’s team:

9.50 am: Hockey

On the day that mattered most, the Indian women’s hockey team came up short against Japan in the final. Read Praveen Sudevan’s piece here.

9.35 am: Football

The men’s football final between South Korea and Japan will begin at 5 pm IST but Tottenham star Son Heung-min as of Friday was still waiting for Spurs teammates Harry Kane and Dele Alli to wish him luck, with his career on the line.

If South Korea do not win the gold, Son would have to leave Tottenham and go back home for two years of military service. “I wish they had texted!” Son told AFP before the final.

9.18 am: Sailing

Sailers who participated at the Asian Games have complained about dirty sea water in Jakarta Bay after battling stomach cramps and diarrhoea, according to an AFP report. A 2012 Unesco report found that all 13 rivers running into Jakarta Bay were contaminated with human waste, largely due to the capital’s inadequate sewage treatment facilities. Read more here.

8.43 am: Judo

The Indian mixed team loses its quarter-final to Kazakhstan 0-4. Vijay Kumar Yadav, Harshdeep Singh Brar, Kalpana Devi and Garima Choudhary played the matches and lost. No medals for India here.

8.40 am: Bridge

The second and last finals of the bridge events featuring Indians have begun. How many golds can India win here?

8.15 am: Hockey

ICYMI, the Indian women’s team won silver after losing the final to a disciplined Japan on Friday. Here is the match report. The men’s team will take on Pakistan in the bronze-medal playoff later today.

7.59 am: Judo

The Indian mixed team comprising Vijay Kumar Yadav, Harshdeep Singh Brar, Kalpana Devi, Garima Choudhary and Rajwinder Kaur have won their round of 16 match against Nepal 4-1. Choudhary was the only Indian who lost in the tie. In the quarter-finals, India will take on Kazakhstan at 8.40 am IST.

7.55 am: Canoe

Some not so great news to start the day for India as Prakant Sharma and Jamesboy Singh Oinam finish ninth and last in the Canoe Double (C2) 200m men’s A-final. They finished with a time of 41.152 seconds. China’s Xing Song and Li Qiang, who got the gold, won it with a time of 36.940 seconds.


Good morning and welcome to The Field’s live blog for day 14 of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

Saturday is the last day of action for the Indian contingent. Looking to add to India’s 13 gold medals would be Amit Panghal (boxing), and Joshna Chinappa and Co (women’s squash team).

Another medal event to look forward to would be the men’s hockey bronze playoff where two disappointed teams in India and Pakistan would take each other on.

Watch out for medals in bridge as well, as three men’s pairs, two mixed pairs and one women’s pair are in the the finals of their respective events.

If you missed the action on day 13, here is a round-up.