Which Indian athlete has won most medals at Asian Games?

PT Usha and Leander Paes are the most successful Indian athletes in Asian Games history. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Photo Library

India will be out to secure another impressive medal haul at the 20th edition of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan beginning on September 19. 

India’s 492-athlete strong contingent will be seeking to win silverware across the 37 disciplines it is scheduled to take part in across the competition.

The record for the most medals by an Indian at the Asian Games is currently held by sprinter P. T. Usha, who took home 11 medals in athletics in four events between 1982 and 1994. 

Usha — who was nicknamed ‘Payyoli Express’ — won four gold and seven silver. All four of her gold medals came at the 1986 edition in Seoul (in 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, and 4x400m relay) along with one silver (100m).

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She won two silver medals at the 1982 New Delhi edition (100m and 200m), three at the 1990 Beijing edition (400m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay), and one at the 1994 Hiroshima edition (4x400m relay).

While Usha holds the record for most medals overall, the record for most gold medals is held by Leander Paes in tennis with five. Paes won men’s doubles and men’s team at Hiroshima 1994, men’s doubles at Busan 2002, and men’s doubles and mixed doubles at Doha 2006.

He also won bronze thrice in men’s team (Beijing 1990), men’s singles (Hiroshima 1994), and mixed doubles (Busan 2002).

Here is the list of most medals by an Indian athlete at the Asian Games:

Most medals won by an Indian at Asian Games

PT Usha (athletics) – 11 medals (four gold, seven silver)

Leander Paes (tennis) – 8 medals (five gold, three bronze) 

Jaspal Rana (shooting) – 8 medals (four gold, two silver, two bronze)

Parduman Singh Brar (athletics) – 5 medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze)

Jyothi Surekha (archery) – 5 medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze)

Harinder Pal Sandhu (squash) – 5 medals (three gold, two bronze)