The Indian contingent on Wednesday registered its best-ever medal haul at the Asian Games by going past the previous edition's tally of 70 here.
India's previous-best medal haul had come at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, when the country's athletes returned with 70 medals, including 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze.
Indian race walkers Manju Rani and Ram Baboo fetched a bronze medal in the 35km mixed race walk event early on Wednesday to help India match the 2018 Jakarta Games' performance.
Gold rush: On India at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou
Compound archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam then grabbed India's 71st medal when they won the mixed team gold medal.
Following this, boxer Parveen Hooda signed off with a bronze medal after losing to two-time world champion Lin Yu Ting of Chinese Taipei in the women’s 57kg semifinal. Parveen, the 2022 world championship bronze medallist, went down to Lin via a 5-0 unanimous verdict.
"It is with great pleasure that I would like to state that India has forged its impression with the best ever medal haul in the Asian Games by crossing the 70 mark in medals tally and there are more to come," India's chef de mission Bhupender Singh Bajwa said.
India has sent its largest-ever contingent with an aim to cross the 100-medal mark at the continental showpiece.
'Aab ki Baar, Sau Paar' (which translates to crossing 100 medals this time) has been India's catch line for the Hangzhou Games.
India currently have 16 gold, 26 silver and 30 bronze medals with over four days of competition still left.
