Double gold for India: Mens Kabaddi team retains Asian Games title with thrilling victory over Iran
India gradually extended its lead in the second half and prevented Iran from making a late comeback.
PTC News Desk: India's kabaddi teams completed a golden double at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday. The women's team defeated Iran 37-34, while the men's team also beat Iran 40-34 in a thrilling final to retain their Asian Games titles.
The men's final was a closely fought contest in the first half. India, led by Sunil Kumar, went into the break trailing 17-18. After half-time, India increased the pressure, improved their defence and found more rhythm in attack to take control of the match.
Iran continued to challenge India and kept the contest competitive. However, India stayed calm in the second half and pulled away to win by six points. It was India's biggest winning margin against Iran in the last three editions of the Asian Games.
India had beaten Iran 33-29 in the Hangzhou final three years ago. That match was interrupted for nearly an hour following a controversial raid and protests over the refereeing.
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There was no such controversy in Aichi-Nagoya. India gradually extended its lead in the second half and prevented Iran from making a late comeback. The victory gave India its ninth men's kabaddi gold medal at the Asian Games.
India's only setback in recent editions came at the 2018 Jakarta Games, where Iran defeated them in the semi-finals. India won the title again in Hangzhou and have now successfully defended it in Aichi-Nagoya.
Earlier in the day, the Indian women's team defeated Iran 37-34 to win the first gold medal of the kabaddi double.
The women's team had remained unbeaten in the group stage, including a 37-23 win over Iran. They then defeated Japan 50-25 and Nepal 48-24 in the semi-final.
The final was much closer, with Iran staying within reach throughout the match. India relied on its experience and strong defence to hold on for the victory.
The win gave India its fourth women's kabaddi gold at the Asian Games and completed a memorable double for the Indian teams.
Both Indian teams defeated Iran in their respective finals, securing two gold medals on the same day.