Asian Championships | India indicators off with its best-ever end on overseas soil in 40 years

Parul Chaudhary received her third medal in 5,000m on the continental occasion. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: ANI

Sachin Yadav had promised to not let the circumstances or opponents have an effect on him and whereas he took time to get into his rhythm, the younger javelin thrower made good on his promise with a private better of 85.16m to win a silver in his maiden worldwide outing behind Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem on the ultimate day of the twenty sixth Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on Saturday.

India wrapped up the marketing campaign with its best-ever efficiency within the competitors on overseas soil, ending with 24 medals, in 40 years.

The concluding day noticed India seize three silver and as many bronze to complete with eight gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze. Although it was three lower than the 27 medals in 2023, the variety of gold medals went up from six to eight, pushing India to second spot on the desk behind China (19, 9, 4). India’s earlier greatest outing was method again in 1985 at Jakarta, profitable 22 medals with 10 gold, together with 5 by P.T. Usha.

Besides Sachin, Parul Chaudhary completed second in 5,000m so as to add to her silver in 3,000m steeplechase and the ladies’s 4x100m relay workforce scorched the observe for the nation’s last silver medal. Pooja added a bronze within the 800m, as did Animesh Kujur in 200m and Vithya Ramraj in 400m hurdles.

Sachin began slowly, going previous the 80m mark solely in his fifth try however then managed to get each his method and strides appropriate for an enormous last throw to go previous Japan’s Yuta Sakiyama, who completed third with 83.75m in his final try. Although he fell wanting his foremost goal — qualifying for the World Championships (85.5m) – by 34cm, the end result locations Sachin ninth the world for the time being. Yashvir Singh too managed a powerful private better of 82.57m to complete fifth.

Nadeem, favorite to win in his first competitors for the reason that Paris Olympics, dug deep for a giant 86.40m last throw to shut out the competitors. In truth, his third throw of 85.57m was additionally sufficient to seal each gold and a Worlds spot.

Parul, in the meantime, clocked 15:15.33 in 5,000m to complete behind Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto Tanui for the second time in as many days. Jeruto set a brand new Asian document of 14:58.71. This was Parul’s third podium end within the occasion after bronze in 2019 and silver in 2023. Sanjivani Jadhav clocked a season’s better of 15:36.40 to complete fifth.

Pooja landed a bronze in 800m with a private greatest of two:01.89s so as to add to her 1500m silver, forward of fourth-placed compatriot Twinkle Chaudhary (2:03.33). Vithya clocked 56.46s to complete third within the 400m hurdles behind China’s Mo Jiadie (55.31s), who upset the reigning Asian document holder Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya of Bahrain (55.32s) on the end line. Anu Raghavan, who had received a silver within the occasion method again in 2017, clocked a second season’s greatest in as many days (57.46s) to complete seventh.

Animesh, in the meantime, shattered his personal nationwide document within the 200m for the second time this season with a 20.32s to clinch bronze. However, it was a disappointing day in males’s 800m with Krishan Kumar and Anu Kumar mentioning the rear in seventh and eighth positions respectively.

Jyothi Yarraji completed fifth and Nithya Gandhe seventh within the ladies’s 200m. The latter, nonetheless, made up with a stable anchor leg to get India’s tenth silver within the 4x100m relay.

The Indian quartet — a mixture of youth and expertise — clocked 43.86s to complete behind China (43.28s). Veteran Srabani Nanda gave a great begin, S.S. Sneha stored up the strain nevertheless it was 18-year previous Abinaya Rajarajan, the U-20 nationwide document holder and on her senior worldwide debut, who introduced India into medal rivalry with a blazing run within the third leg, going toe-to-toe with Singapore’s skilled Veronica Shanti Pereira earlier than Nithya sealed the medal.

Published – May 31, 2025 07:16 pm IST