By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
India completed a golden sweep in kabaddi at the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday, with the men’s team retaining its title by defeating Iran 40-34 in a closely fought final at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium.
The victory took India’s gold-medal tally to four, after the women’s team had earlier in the day defeated Iran 37-34 in the women’s final.
For Iran, it was a double heartbreak, losing both the men’s and women’s kabaddi finals to India on the same day. The two teams fought closely in both finals, but India held its nerve to emerge victorious on both occasions.
The women’s victory had given India its third gold of the Games, before the men followed with another triumph over the same opponents to complete a memorable kabaddi double.
India’s men successfully defended the Asian Games title, underlining their continued strength in the sport, while the women also reclaimed the top spot with their victory over Iran.
The back-to-back wins gave India two gold medals in one discipline and provided a significant boost to its campaign in Nagoya.
For Iran, meanwhile, the two narrow defeats—by three points in the women’s final and six in the men’s—turned kabaddi into a day of double disappointment, after coming within touching distance of gold in both events.
After winning two golds in Kabaddi, India moved to eleventh place in the medal tally also improving its position by one notch.