Asian Youth Games 2025: India Creates History with Record 48 Medals — 13 Gold, 18 Silver & 17 Bronze in Manama

India recorded its best-ever performance at the 2025 Asian Youth Games held in Manama, Bahrain, clinching a total of 48 medals — including 13 gold, 18 silver, and 17 bronze. This historic achievement surpassed the nation’s previous tallies from the 2009 Singapore and 2013 Nanjing editions, making it India’s strongest showing in the continental youth event’s history.

India’s Record-Breaking Medal Tally

A 222-member Indian contingent — comprising 119 women and 103 men — participated across various disciplines in Manama. India’s medal count of 48 marked a huge leap from previous editions:

• 2009 Asian Youth Games (Singapore): 11 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze)

• 2013 Asian Youth Games (Nanjing): 14 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze) — where Indian athletes competed under the Olympic flag due to a temporary suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The 2025 edition, returning after a 12-year gap, saw participation from 45 national federations competing for 1,677 medals (505 gold, 503 silver, 669 bronze) across multiple sports.

India’s first medal of the Games came through Khushi, aged 15, who earned a bronze in the girls’ 70kg kurash event — a traditional form of wrestling originating from Central Asia, which emphasizes throws and balance rather than groundwork.

Shortly after, Ranjana Yadav secured India’s first athletics medal — a silver in the girls’ 5000m race walk, displaying remarkable endurance and pace.

The turning point came when the Indian girls’ kabaddi team clinched the nation’s first gold medal by defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran in a thrilling final. Kabaddi — a contact team sport rooted in ancient Indian tradition — has been one of India’s consistent strengths in multi-sport events.

Historic Weightlifting Feat by Priteesmita Bhoi

India’s first individual gold of the Games came from Priteesmita Bhoi, who set a world youth record in the girls’ 44kg clean and jerk event in weightlifting. The clean and jerk is a two-part Olympic lift where an athlete first brings the barbell to the shoulders (“clean”) and then raises it overhead (“jerk”).

Bhoi’s feat not only secured India’s gold but also placed her name in the global record books — marking a defining moment for Indian youth weightlifting.

Final Day Glory: Boxing and Beach Wrestling Dominate

India closed the Asian Youth Games with an extraordinary final-day performance, bagging 15 medals, including seven golds. The boxing team led the charge with four gold medals, showcasing India’s growing dominance in youth boxing, while the beach wrestling squad added three golds, cementing India’s overall standing.

These achievements brought India’s final tally to 48 medals (13 gold, 18 silver, 17 bronze) — the highest-ever by the country at the Asian Youth Games.

Asian Youth Games 2025: India’s medal winners

Indian medal winners at Asian Youth Games 2025:-

Athlete/Team	Event	Sport	Medal
Anjali	Girls' 55kg	Beach wrestling	Gold
Sani Fulmali	Boys' 60kg	Beach wrestling	Gold
Arjun Ruhil	Boys' 90kg	Beach wrestling	Gold
Khushi Chand	Girls' 46kg	Boxing	Gold
Ahaana Sharma	Girls' 50kg	Boxing	Gold
Chandrika Pujari	Girls' 54kg	Boxing	Gold
Anshika	Girls' +80kg	Boxing	Gold
India	Girls' team	Kabaddi	Gold
India	Boys' team	Kabaddi	Gold
Priteesmita Bhoi	Girls' 44kg clean & jerk	Weightlifting	Gold
Moni	Girls' freestyle 57kg	Wrestling	Gold
Yashita	Girls' freestyle 61kg	Wrestling	Gold
Jaiveer Singh	Boys' freestyle 55kg	Wrestling	Gold
Shourya Ambure	Girls' 100m hurdles	Athletics	Silver
Edwina Jason	Girls' 400m	Athletics	Silver
Ranjana Yadav	Girls' 5000m walk	Athletics	Silver
Oshin	Girls' discus throw	Athletics	Silver
India	Girls' medley relay	Athletics	Silver
Sujay Nagnath Tanpure	Boys' 70kg	Beach wrestling	Silver
Ravinder	Boys' 80kg	Beach wrestling	Silver
Harnoor Kaur	Girls' 66kg	Boxing	Silver
Lanchenba Singh Moibungkhongbam	Boys' 50kg	Boxing	Silver
Monika Khuyenthem	Girls’ -63kg	Judo	Silver
Kanishka Bidhuri	Girls' 52kg	Kurash	Silver
Shriya Milind Satam	Girls' 50kg	Mixed Martial Arts	Silver
Tirthank Pegu	Boys’ 200m butterfly	Swimming	Silver
Priteesmita Bhoi	Girls' 44kg snatch	Weightlifting	Silver
Maharajan Arumugapandian	Boys' 60kg snatch	Weightlifting	Silver
Maharajan Arumugapandian	Boys' 60kg clean and jerk	Weightlifting	Silver
Ashvini Vishnoi	Girls' 69kg freestyle	Wrestling	Silver
Gourav Punia	Boys' freestyle 65kg	Wrestling	Silver
Bhoomika Nehate	Girls' 200m	Athletics	Bronze
Jasmine Kaur	Girls' shot put	Athletics	Bronze
Palash Mandal	Boys' 5000m walk	Athletics	Bronze
Zubin Gohain	Boys' high jump	Athletics	Bronze
Anant Deshmukh	Boys' 66kg	Boxing	Bronze
Harshit	Boys’ -73kg	Judo	Bronze
Khushi	Girls' 70kg	Kurash	Bronze
Arvind	Boys' 83kg	Kurash	Bronze
Veer Bhadu	Boys' 80kg	Mixed Martial Arts	Bronze
Alphonsa Zinia Wriang	Girls' Wai Kru 16-17	Muay	Bronze
Syndrela Das-Sarthak Arya	Mixed doubles	Table tennis	Bronze
Debasish Das	Boys' Individual Recognised Poomsae	Taekwondo	Bronze
Shivanshu Patel/Yashwini Singh	Mixed Pairs Recognised Poomsae	Taekwondo	Bronze
India	Mixed team	Taekwondo	Bronze
Parv Choudhary	Boys’ 94kg clean and jerk	Weightlifting	Bronze
Rachana	Girls' freestyle 43kg	Wrestling	Bronze
Komal Verma	Girls' freestyle 49kg	Wrestling	Bronze

India’s Participation by Sport

Among the 222 Indian athletes:

• Athletics fielded the largest contingent with 31 participants,

• followed by Kabaddi (28),

• Handball (16), and

• Boxing (14).Additionally, 10 Indian athletes each competed in taekwondo, wrestling, and weightlifting — sports that contributed significantly to the medal tally.

Qualification for the 2026 Youth Olympics

The 2025 Asian Youth Games also served as a qualification event for the upcoming 2026 Youth Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Dakar, Senegal — the first-ever Olympic event to take place in West Africa.

India’s strong showing in Manama ensures qualification spots in several disciplines for Dakar 2026, marking another milestone in the country’s expanding youth sports ecosystem.

A New Era for Indian Youth Sports

From Khushi’s opening bronze in kurash to the final-day gold rush, India’s campaign reflected the rise of a confident new generation of athletes ready to excel on international platforms. The record 48-medal haul, powered by performances in kabaddi, weightlifting, boxing, and athletics, signals a turning point for Indian youth sports.

As the athletes return home, their success in Manama stands not just as a medal count, but as a symbol of India’s growing sporting depth, diversity, and international competitiveness.

Asian Youth Games 2025 medals tally

Asian Youth Games 2025 – Final Medal Tally

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	People’s Republic of China	63	49	35	147
2	Uzbekistan	37	16	28	81
3	Kazakhstan	24	29	40	93
4	Islamic Republic of Iran	22	18	36	76
5	Thailand	15	15	18	48
6	India	13	18	17	48
7	Hong Kong, China	13	13	10	36
8	United Arab Emirates	12	9	10	31
9	Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	8	5	2	15
10	Chinese Taipei	7	9	24	40
11	Republic of Korea	7	7	11	25
12	Philippines	7	7	10	24
13	Bahrain	5	5	3	13
14	Saudi Arabia	5	4	13	22
15	Indonesia	4	6	18	28
16	Japan	4	6	8	18
17	Iraq	3	6	5	14
18	Tajikistan	2	3	15	20
19	Singapore	2	3	2	7
20	Jordan	2	2	9	13
21	Kyrgyzstan	1	9	11	21
22	Viet Nam	1	7	11	19
23	Malaysia	1	2	9	12
24	Afghanistan	1	2	3	6
25	Qatar	1	2	1	4
26	Sri Lanka	1	1	5	7
27	Turkmenistan	1	1	4	6
28	Kuwait	1	1	1	3
29	Palestine	1	0	1	2
30	Mongolia	0	5	13	18
31	Cambodia	0	2	2	4
32	Pakistan	0	1	2	3
33	Lebanon	0	1	0	1
34	Bangladesh	0	0	2	2
34	Oman	0	0	2	2
34	Yemen	0	0	2	2