Who was the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold medal at the Asian Games?

Kamaljeet Sandhu won the gold medal in the women's 400 m at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. She became the first Indian woman to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games.

More about Kamaljeet Sandhu:

• She set a record time of 57.3 seconds in the 400 m at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games.
• She also competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
• She received the Padma Shri in 1971.
• After her athletics career, she worked as a coach and sports administrator.

Other Indian women Asian Games pioneers:

• D. Valsamma won the 400 m hurdles gold at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, setting an Asian record. She was the second Indian woman to win an individual athletics gold at the Asian Games.
• T. Usha won four gold medals and one silver at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, a record for an Indian athlete at a single Asian Games.
• Shiny Abraham Wilson won medals in middle-distance events and was the first Indian woman Olympic flag bearer (1992).
• Jyothi Yarraji, Parul Chaudhary and Annu Rani won gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023).

India at the 2022 Asian Games:

India won 107 medals (28 gold), its best ever Asian Games performance, crossing 100 medals for the first time. Athletics contributed the largest number of medals.

India's first Asian Games gold:

At the first Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951, India won 15 gold medals. Sachin Nag won India's first Asian Games gold, in the 100 m freestyle swimming.

Why not the other options?

• ✗T. Usha won her first Asian Games golds later, in 1986 (Seoul).
• ✗Shiny Abraham Wilson won Asian Games medals in the 1980s but was not the first gold medallist.
• ✗D. Valsamma won gold in 1982, after Kamaljeet Sandhu.