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Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Sport
- Time of India
At Asian Athletics Championships, India's gold rush continues
Indian athletes continued to make waves at the Asian Athletics Championships on Friday. Long distance runner Gulveer Singh, high jumper Pooja and heptathlete Nandini Agasara shone bright to win gold medals on the penultimate day of the meet in Gumi, South Korea. Parul Chaudhary claimed silver in a national record time of 9:12.46s in women's 3,000m steeplechase. After Friday's show, India held on to its second position in the medals tally with eight gold, seven silver and three bronze for a total count of 18. China is on top with 26 medals — 15 gold, 8 silver and 3 bronze. GULVEER DOES A DOUBLE One of the first gold medals for India came through Army runner Gulveer, who clocked 13:24.77s in the men's 5,000m event to beat Qatar's Mohamed Al-Garni's Asian championships record of 13:34.47s set in 2015. Gulveer, a Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist, ran a measured race to become the first Indian in the ongoing edition of the Asian meet to win back-to-back gold. The 26-year-old had won the men's 10,000m gold on the opening day. 'My goal in Gumi was to win the first position in both 5,000m and 10,000m. Though the weather conditions weren't ideal during both events, I stuck to my plan of achieving a good timing,' he said. Thailand's Kieran Tuntivate was close second with a timing of 13:24.97s, while Japan's Nagiya Mori finished third clocking 13:25.06s. Another Indian in the fray, Abhishek Pal, came sixth with a timing of 13:33.51s. POOJA CREATES HISTORY Haryana mason's daughter Pooja created history after becoming only the second Indian woman to win gold in high jump at the Asian level. Bobby Aloysius had won gold way back in 2000, followed by a silver in 2002 edition of the continental meet. The promising 18-year-old cleared the bar at 1.89m to post a personal best and win the country's second gold of the day. She tried to raise the bar but wasn't able to clear 1.92m in all three attempts. 'It was a good day for me as I was among the champions at the senior continental level,' Pooja said. NANDINI 3RD INDIAN WOMAN HEPTATHLETE TO WIN GOLD India's third gold came through Nandini Agasara, who scored a come-from-behind win over China's Liu Jingyi to claim a sensational top podium finish in heptathlon. The Indian was trailing her Chinese rival by 54 points ahead of the 800m, and made a stunning comeback to secure a total of 5941 points. Jingyi finished second with 5869 points, while Chinese Taipei's Cai Juan Chen came third accumulating 5608 points. Nandini became only the third Indian woman to win an Asian heptathlon gold after Soma Biswas (2005) and Swapna Barman (2017). PARUL REWRITES 3000M STEEPLECHASE NATL RECORD Parul Chaudhary had a good run in women's 3,000m steeplechase, improving the national record to 9:12.96s enroute her silver finish. 'My race strategy was to stay with the leading runner (Norah Jeruto Tanui of Kazakhstan). I tried my best but she surged ahead in the final lap. I am happy to have improved the national record,' Parul said. MEN'S 4X100M RELAY TEAM DISQUALIFIED It was a bad day for the men's 4x100m relay team — Manikanta Hoblidar, Amlan Borgohain, Rahul Kumar and Pranav Gurav — as they were disqualified during the heats for baton exchange outside the zone.
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Indian Open Surfing returns for its sixth edition
Mangaluru: Taneerbavi Beach in coastal Karnataka is set to come alive with waves and action as the Indian Open of Surfing (IOS) returns for its sixth edition from May 30 to June 1. Recognised as one of India's premier national-level surfing competitions, the event forms part of the Surfing Federation of India's National Surfing Championship series. Organised by the Surfing Swami Foundation and hosted by the Mantra Surf Club, this year's IOS comes at a time when Indian surfing is riding a new wave of recognition—having secured two quotas for the 2026 Asian Games for the first time last year. Top national surfers across four categories—Men's Open, Women's Open, and U-16 Groms (Boys and Girls)—will vie not only for titles but also for valuable ranking points as they look to qualify for the Asian Surfing Championship later this year, the gateway to the continental games. 'This edition is expected to be more competitive than ever,' said Arun Vasu, President of the SFI. 'With Asian Games qualification now a tangible target, the stakes are higher and the athletes are hungrier.' With growing government and corporate support and a rising presence on the international stage, surfing in India appears to be gathering fresh momentum, and the Indian Open of Surfing is set to be its latest showcase.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Despite torn spikes, teenager Pooja leaps to high jump gold at Asian Athletics – and is leading a revolution in her village
Even a torn spike, patched up using Kinesiology tape, didn't deter teenage high jumper Pooja from taking aim at the women's national record of 1.92 metres at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi. The mason's daughter from Bosti village in Haryana's Fatehabad district made a statement by attempting to rewrite Sahana Kumari's mark, dating back to 2012. Pooja had already pocketed the gold medal, only India's second in the women's high jump in the history of the competition, by clearing the bar at 1.89 metres. Last time an Indian woman high jumper won gold at the Asian Championships was in 2000, when a 26-year-old Bobby Aloysius cleared 1.83 metres. From humble beginnings — a bamboo pole as the bar and sacks filled with rice husk and hay as the landing mat — at her coach Balwan Patra's academy in Patra village, next to Bosti, Pooja challenged the best in Asia and won. The national record would have been a bonus. But 18-year-old Pooja had entered the record books by rewriting her own national Under-20 record, an improvement of four centimetres, en route to winning her first senior international medal. Since Aloysius's gold — she also won a silver in the next edition — the top of the podium place has been the preserve of the jumpers from Kyrgyzstan, China and Uzbekistan. Coach Balwan believes the national record would have fallen if not for the torn spike Pooja wore on her left foot during the final. Balwan said Pooja wears Nike spikes. But the left spike frayed and came apart during a practice session. 'Her regular Nike shoes split. She had an Adidas pair too, but she didn't get the right feel when she wore those spikes as she felt she could not control her jump. So she decided to wear the torn spikes because she was more comfortable in them. If her spikes were good, she could have equalled the national record,' Balwan told The Indian Express. Pooja was happy that her first medal at a senior international competition was a gold. 'My body was very well in sync and I would have cleared that 1.92m mark but missed it. Nevertheless, a personal best and gold medal is really good for me. In the last edition I did 1.75 (metres) but this time I improved, so this is a good medal for me at the age of 18,' Pooja said post the final. India's chief national coach Radhakrishnan Nair said he was pleasantly surprised that Pooja clinched the gold. The veteran coach said she has a bright future. 'Of course, I was expecting that she would do 1.85-plus but it was not assured with the gold medal. It was an excellent performance by her, comparing her age. She is developing every year. She can be a very good high jumper,' Nair said. Coach Balwan has given her the target of winning gold at next year's Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. Even when she is travelling, thousands of kilometres from her village, Pooja is on the phone with Balwan multiple times a day. Post the press conference on Friday, Pooja rang up her long-time coach. Theirs is a partnership that goes back to when Pooja was into yogasana and gymnastics. Balwan didn't have a landing mat or any equipment to train high jumpers at his academy, named after his village — Patra Sports Academy, located at a school premises. 'We used rice husks and hay to fill sacks. Those sacks formed the landing mat,' Balwan said of the time when Pooja transitioned from yogasana and gymnastics to high jump. Pooja's father Hansraj Singh is a mason with a daily wage. He was open to the idea of enrolling his daughter at Balwan's academy. Pooja heard about the academy after she saw Balwan's trainees perform yogasana at a village function. 'Her father brought her to my academy. I trained her in gymnastics and also yoga. Back then there were no high jumpers training at the academy,' coach Balwan recalled. Balwan, a former 800 metres runner, however was impressed by Pooja's flexibility, explosive power and strength in her legs. He took a gamble and asked Pooja if she wanted to try high jump. 'Her first jump was about 90 centimetres. I knew immediately that she had a natural ability in the high jump.' Pooja spoke about the jugaad she and her coach resorted to in the early days. 'I picked up high jump because my coach was confident. When I started there was no proper mat, but I broke the Under-16 record. I have gone through a lot to reach here.' With Pooja's fortunes improving, the facilities at Patra's academy were also upgraded. A quality landing mat was gifted by former Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medal-winning discus thrower Seema Antil. 'After Pooja qualified for the Asian Games, Seema called me and asked what I needed. When she knew the mat was old, she said that she would get a new one. In less than a month, Seema ensured we had a new mat. Pooja trained on that mat for the Asian Games. We are grateful to Seema,' Balwan said. In Patra, there is a mini revolution in high jump following Pooja's success. 'Lot of kids want to be in the high jump. Pooja was the only high jumper, now there are 10 high jumpers in the academy — from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Pooja has inspired a lot of athletes to become high jumpers.'
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Revenge for Aaron-Wooi Yik, regret for world No. 1 Sze Fei-Izzuddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik exacted sweet revenge on compatriots Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun to book a spot in the Singapore Open semi-finals on Friday. The world No. 3, beaten by Wei Chong-Kai Wun in last week's Malaysia Masters final, needed just 33 minutes to settle the score with a 22-20, 21-17 win in the quarter-finals. However, hopes of an all-Malaysian semi-final were dashed after world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani suffered a shock 21-17, 21-15 defeat to India's world No. 27 and reigning Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Aaron-Wooi Yik are now the last Malaysians standing and will face the Indian pair for a place in Sunday's final. It will be their fourth consecutive semi-final, having won the Badminton Asia Championships last month and the Thailand Open two weeks ago. "We're more mature now, and we've improved, but there's still room for growth," said Wooi Yik. "We know Wei Chong-Kai Wun well, so it was about executing better today, and we did." Aaron credited their resurgence to the guidance of national coach Herry IP. "Herry has been excellent for us. It's still a work in progress, but we're hoping for more," said Aaron. "The first game was crucial. We were lucky to take it, and after that, we stayed calm and composed." Aaron-Wooi Yik will start as favourites against Satwiksairaj-Chirag, having won nine of their 12 meetings, including their last clash at the Paris Olympics last year. "Satwiksairaj-Chirag haven't played much since Paris due to injuries, so we're not sure about their current form," said Wooi Yik. "But we'll give it our best and see how it goes." Meanwhile, women's doubles hopes ended after world No. 4 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah fell 14-21, 24-22, 21-14 to China's world No. 11 Jia Yi Fan-Zheng Shu Xian in the quarter-finals.
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Asian Athletics: Avinash Sable ends India's 36-year wait for gold
Avinash Sable Records were broken, history was made as new champions emerged. That was the Indian athletics' story from the track and field arena of the Gumi Civic stadium in South Korea on Thursday. In a scintillating show at the Asian championships, the country's athletes claimed three gold, two silver and a bronze in different events to cap off a memorable day. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Avinash Sable set the ball rolling by winning the men's 3000m steeplechase, which was followed by Jyothi Yarraji's sensational gold in the women's 100m hurdles. The third top podium finish came in the women's 4x400m relay, powered by the Indian quartet of Jisna Mathew, Rupal Chaudhary, Kunja Rajitha and Subha Venkatesan. The men's 4x400m relay team took silver and Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh ensured a 2-3 finish in the women's long jump final. Who's that IPL player? Sable's last-lap burst The day started with Asian Games gold medallist Sable ending the country's 36-year-long wait for a gold medal in the men's 3000m steeplechase in the continental meet. Sable clocked a season-best 8:20.92s. He had won silver in the Doha edition in 2019. Sable became the first Indian man since Dina Ram in 1989 to win continental gold in this event. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo In a tactical race, the 30-year-old Indian surged ahead in the last lap, picking up pace to overtake Japan's Yutaro Niinae (8:24.41s) just before the first hurdle. Qatar's Zakaria Elahlaami (8:27.12s) finished third. 'The pace of the race was slow. It was about preserving your energy for the last. Going into the race, I was confident about my chances since I had prepared well for the event. The wet and rainy conditions increased the difficulty level but I managed to execute my plans,' Sable said after his race. 'I don't want to be a one-season wonder': Punjab Kings' Shashank Singh Jyothi, Asia's finest Jyothi became the first Indian to win back-to-back gold in the women's 100m hurdles at the Asian meet. She crossed the finish line in a new continental record of 12.96s. The Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist sailed over the last two hurdles effortlessly to move ahead of her rivals – Japan's Yumi Tanaka and China's Wu Yanni – both of whom clocked an identical 13.07s. On her way to gold, Jyothi improved the long standing continental record of 12.97s, set in 1998 in Fukuoka, Japan by Yun Feng. The time of 12.96s was Jyothi's season best. 'I am happy to have broken the 13 seconds barrier again. It's a good start to my season. It was a tough race as I wasn't the quickest off the blocks. I trailed them (Tanaka and Wu) for most part of the race. In the final stretch, I was able to clear the hurdles. It helped me,' Jyothi said.
