Nine Golds, 32 Medals, 11th Place: How Malaysia's Aichi-Nagoya Tally Measures Up to Its Targets
Malaysia end Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with 9 golds, 7 silvers and 16 bronzes, equalling the 2010 gold record but one medal short of the 33-medal goal.
Malaysia's medal campaign at the 20th Asian Games is complete. With competition over and the closing ceremony in Nagoya tonight, the national contingent finishes with nine golds, seven silvers and 16 bronzes, a total of 32 medals, placing 11th on the overall table.
The headline number is the nine golds. That equals Malaysia's best ever haul at an Asian Games, set at Guangzhou 2010. A tenth gold, and an outright record, slipped away on Saturday when both the padel doubles pair and the Speedy Tigers lost their finals.
Against the targets
Before the Games, chef de mission Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan set a target of six golds, seven silvers and 20 bronzes, 33 medals in all, for a contingent of 352 athletes across 30 sports. Here is how the final count compares:
| Medal | Target | Achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 6 | 9 |
| Silver | 7 | 7 |
| Bronze | 20 | 16 |
| Total | 33 | 32 |
So the gold target was beaten by three and the silver target met exactly, while the bronze count fell four short, leaving the overall total one medal under the goal.
Better than Hangzhou
The comparison with the last Games is clearly positive. At Hangzhou 2022, Malaysia won six golds, eight silvers and 18 bronzes and finished 14th. This time they have three more golds and are three places higher, even though the total number of medals is the same.
Where the nine golds came from
- Karate (2): Adeola Fay Robert (women's -55kg kumite) and Shahmalarani Chandran (women's -50kg kumite)
- Esports (1): Taj Izrin Aiman (Gran Turismo 7)
- Sepak takraw (1): men's team regu, ending a 36-year wait
- Squash (4): S. Sivasangari (women's singles), Ng Eain Yow (men's singles), and the women's and men's team events
- Track cycling (1): Azizulhasni Awang (men's keirin)
Three of those golds came on one day, 2 October, when Azizulhasni and both squash teams all won.
The final-day silvers
Saturday's two silvers came from the debut padel event, where Christian Didier Chin and Aidan Yunus lost 6-3, 6-1 to Qatar's Naif brothers, and the men's hockey final, which India won 5-1. Earlier silvers included eFootball and the sepak takraw regu event, which Thailand won.
Where 11th place sits
China topped the table by a wide margin with more than 160 golds, ahead of hosts Japan with 83, South Korea with 39 and India with 21. Among Southeast Asian nations, Thailand finished seventh with 18 golds. Bahrain, with 11 golds, finished 10th, just ahead of Malaysia.
Sumali's verdict
The chef de mission praised the athletes' "high fighting spirit, discipline and courage to compete with Asia's best," but warned that the results should not lead to complacency because there is still much to improve before bigger competitions.
Key takeaways
- Final tally: 9 gold, 7 silver, 16 bronze (32 medals), 11th overall.
- Nine golds equals Malaysia's Asian Games record from Guangzhou 2010.
- Six-gold target beaten by three; 33-medal target missed by one.
- An improvement on Hangzhou 2022 (6-8-18, 14th).
- Squash was the biggest gold contributor with four.
FAQ
What was Malaysia's target at the 2026 Asian Games? Six golds, seven silvers and 20 bronzes, a total of 33 medals.
Did Malaysia break its Asian Games gold record? No. Nine golds equals the record set at Guangzhou 2010; the padel and hockey finals that could have made it ten were both lost.
Which sport won Malaysia the most golds? Squash, with four.
Sources: Bernama, Malay Mail, RTM, Stadium Astro, Utusan Malaysia, Khel Now, Twentytwo13