And the Indian women’s team had won the gold medal for the fourth time since the sport had been added to the roster in 2010. Mumbai: Almost in unison, they leapt into each other’s arms in celebration. The Asian Games is the biggest title there is to win in kabaddi.
That all changed at the 2018 edition when Iran won the final 27-24. There was a lot at stake going into this match. In the early days of kabaddi in the Asian Games, it was almost taken for granted that the gold medal was assured. Then there came that one astonishing raid by left-corner defender Atena Madadi, who picked up touch points on the only two Indian players left on the mat to inflict an all-out. When there were moments where the raiders would go deep into the Iranian half to get touch points, they started to make a few empty raids to drop the tempo of the game. When the defenders would charge into tackles rashly, they stayed patient and looked for moments to lunge at the raider.
