Iran undone by India in women’s kabaddi final
Iran had to settle for silver in the women’s kabaddi at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after suffering a 37-34 defeat to India in the final on Saturday.
Unlike the meeting between the two sides in the group stage, which India won comprehensively 37-23, the showdown at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium was a neck-and-neck contest from start to finish. India edged the raiding exchanges 26-21, but Iran hit back hard on bonus points, picking up eight to India’s six, keeping the tie in the balance deep into the second half.
India took the first half 22-16, built on 16 out points, three bonus points and one all-out, which came after the sides were locked toe-to-toe before India forced the match’s first all-out. Iran stayed within range through the half courtesy of seven bonus points but could not convert that into scoreboard pressure before the break.
Iran came out swinging after the restart, outscoring India 18-15 in the second half and closing the gap to a single point at 27-26 after converting an all-out opportunity.
India, however, held its nerve under pressure, with Sanju Devi’s super raid swinging momentum back in India’s favor before captain Pushpa Rana sealed an all-out of her own to restore some breathing room.
Pooja then capitalized on visible uncertainty in the Iranian defense to further extend the lead. Iran refused to fold, chipping away with a super tackle as well as 14 out points in the half, but it was not enough to deny India a third successive gold medal at the multi-sport event.
Iran head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani said the narrow margin reflected the difference in experience between the two teams, arguing that Iran had performed well physically and tactically but lacked composure when the outcome was at stake.
“The difference actually shows the gap in our players’ experience. We were better than our opponents physically and there was nothing lacking in our teamwork, but the main issue was experience in crucial moments,” Mazandarani said.
“A player needs to know which points must not be lost and when to engage in a challenge. Our players have not yet reached the necessary maturity in this regard.
“Unfortunately, experience is not something that can simply be gained through training. Players need to participate in such tournaments, experience the atmosphere of major competitions and gradually reach the necessary maturity,” said the Iranian coach.
“The average age of our team is below 23, and 11 players have changed from the previous edition. It is normal that such a major change would affect the team’s performance.”
Despite the disappointment of missing out on gold, Mazandarani expressed confidence in the team’s long-term prospects.
“Our players are very young, and this team can have a lot to offer in at least the next two editions of the Asian Games,” he said. “A good foundation has been laid for the future.”
Iran captain Zahra Karimi, meanwhile, echoed her coach’s sentiment, saying she remains confident that the team can eventually overcome India.
“India is a powerful team and one of the strongest sides in the world. However, given the motivated players we have, we will definitely train harder and come back stronger,” she said.
“I am sure that next time the gold medal will be ours, God willing.”
India have now won the women’s kabaddi gold at every edition of the Asian Games since the event’s debut in 2010, with the sole exception coming in Jakarta 2018, where it was beaten by Iran in the final.
Saturday’s result marked a fifth medal in as many editions for Iranian women, who had won bronze in Hangzhou 2022.
Beach volleyball
Elsewhere, the Iranian pair of Abbas Pourasgari and Alireza Aqajani continued its perfect run in the men’s beach volleyball, defeating Thailand’s Wachirawit Muadpha and Netitorn Muneekul 2-0 (27-25, 24-22).
A third straight-set victory saw the Iranian pair, which won the Fans’ Choice prize at July’s AVC Gala Awards, finish atop the Pool F standings and progress to the round of 16.
The Iranian team began its campaign with a win against Timor-Leste’s pair before claiming an impressive victory over Oman’s B team of Ahmed Al-Housni and Khalfan Al Mamari.
Joining the two Iranians in Tuesday’s knockout stage are their compatriots Abolfazl Khakizadeh and Amirali Qalenovi, who finished second in Pool H after losing 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 15-12) to the hosts’ Kota Kurosawa and Taito Mizumachi in their final group outing on Friday.
Alamian brothers out in doubles
In table tennis, Nima and Noshad Alamian failed to replicate their impressive success of the previous edition, suffering a 3-0 loss (11-6, 12-10, 11-3) to China’s Wen Ruibo and Xiang Peng in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
This was yet another setback for the Alamian brothers – doubles and team bronze medalists at Hangzhou 2022 – who were also part of the team when Iran was beaten 3-0 by Chinese Taipei in the last eight of the men’s team event earlier at the Games.