Anurag Thakur on India crossing the 100 medal mark at the Asian Games 

India and her athletes scripted history at the Asian Games 2023. The country won a total of 107 medals, 28 of which were gold. This marks India's biggest ever medal haul at the Asiad, and the first time that Indian athletes have crossed the 100 medal mark at the marquee event.

Going into the Hangzhou Games, the motto for India was simple "Abki baar, sau paar". However, many were skeptical of this target, given that India's previous best medal tally at the Asian Games was 70. But as the Games began and the medals started pouring in across various sports, the far-fetched goal suddenly seemed like a very real possibility.

Now, in an interview with The Hindu, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has broken down the calculations behind the motto, and revealed what gave him the confidence to announce that the country's athletes would come back with more than a hundred medals.

"If you are connected at the grassroots and you know what is happening, what kind of facilities we are providing, and how frequently our Mission Olympic Committee meets, then you will understand my confidence."

"We keep track of the players, what they’re doing, and how the training is going—all these things make a lot of difference. So, if you’re keeping track and making the right calculation, you will understand. We may get five medals, plus or minus. It could have been 95. But in the end, it was 107. With God’s grace and the athletes’ performances, we were able to achieve this," he said.

After Asian Games, Anurag Thakur targeting massive medal haul at Paris

Earlier in the year, Anurag Thakur had hinted that India would be throwing its hat in the ring to be considered as the hosts for the 2036 Olympics. Now, in the 141st IOC session that was held in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially announced the country's intent to host the 2030 Youth Olympics and the 2036 Olympics.

When asked about his priority - hosting the Olympics or winning medals at the event, Thakur said:

"My hosting of the Olympics without winning medals is not complete. So, that is why I said I was working on increasing the medal tally by 2036. For that, whatever is required at the grassroots level, we will do that. And hosting the Olympics in the manner we did with the G-20 will be a memorable event for the world to remember."

"So, for the next 12 years, until India hosts the Summer Olympics and the Youth Olympics, we should have more athletes who can win medals," he added.

Ever since India participated in its first Olympics, the country's athletes have returned with 35 medals. Of these 35 medals, 7 were won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

With the stunning result India achieved at the Asian Games 2023, fans will have high expectations from the country's contingent and will hope for another record-breaking medal tally come Paris 2024.