India Secures Double Gold in Kabaddi at Asian Youth Games 2025

Manama, Bahrain | October 24, 2025 India reaffirmed its dominance in Kabaddi by clinching double gold at the Asian Youth Games 2025, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams emerging victorious in their respective finals against Iran. The triumphs marked a historic clean sweep for India in the sport, as both teams remained unbeaten throughout the competition held in Manama, Bahrain. In a thrilling boys’ final, India battled past a spirited Iranian side to secure a narrow 35–32 victory. The contest saw intense exchanges throughout, with Iran mounting a late comeback that tested India’s composure. However, the Indian boys held firm in the final moments to seal the win and claim gold. The girls’ team, meanwhile, produced a commanding performance in their title clash, overpowering Iran 75–21 in a one-sided encounter. From the outset, the Indian girls displayed remarkable coordination and tactical brilliance, overwhelming their opponents with relentless raids and sharp defensive play. The Indian girls had earlier dominated the group stage, registering emphatic wins over Bangladesh (46–18), Thailand (70–23), Sri Lanka (73–10), and Iran (59–26). Their unbeaten run ensured a top finish in the round-robin stage, where the two best teams advanced to the final. The boys’ journey to gold was equally impressive, as they remained undefeated across all matches. They recorded massive victories over Bangladesh (83–19), Sri Lanka (89–16), Pakistan (81–26), Iran (46–29), hosts Bahrain (84–40), and Thailand (85–30) before overcoming Iran again in the final. India’s golden sweep in Kabaddi added significant momentum to its overall medal tally, which received further contributions from taekwondo and athletics. In taekwondo, Debasish Das reached the semi-finals of the boys’ individual recognised poomsae category, defeating Bangladesh’s Tahib Hossan Osman and Mongolia’s Amar Amgalan before losing to China’s Gao Zixuan to secure a bronze medal. In the mixed pair recognised poomsae, the duo of Yashwini Singh and Shivanshu Patel also claimed bronze after a hard-fought semi-final loss to Thailand. Athletics too brought cheer to the Indian camp, with multiple podium finishes. Ranjana Yadav opened India’s medal account with a silver in the girls’ 5000m walk, clocking 24:25.88s, just behind China’s Liu Shiyi, who won gold with a time of 24:15.27s. Riya Rathore narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in the same event. Jasmine Kaur earned bronze in the girls’ shot put with a best throw of 14.86m, while Shourya Ambure delivered a standout performance in the girls’ 100m hurdles, clinching silver with a personal best of 13.73s. With these results, India’s total medal count at the Games rose to 10 — comprising two gold, three silver, and five bronze medals. The Kabaddi victories stood out as the highlight of the campaign, reflecting India’s continued excellence in the traditional sport on the continental stage. The 222-member Indian contingent continues to compete across various disciplines at the Asian Youth Games, which will conclude on October 31, with hopes of adding to the growing medal tally and strengthening India’s presence in youth sports across Asia. India Strikes Double Gold in Kabaddi at Asian Youth Games India achieved a clean sweep in Kabaddi at the Asian Youth Games 2025 in Manama, Bahrain, as both the boys’ and girls’ teams clinched gold against Iran. The boys edged out Iran 35–32 in a tense final, while the girls dominated 75–21 with a flawless performance. Both teams remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, showcasing India’s strength in the sport. The victories boosted India’s overall medal tally to 10, including two golds, three silvers, and five bronzes. With strong performances in taekwondo and athletics, India continues to shine at the continental event concluding on October 31.