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India Gazette
20 hours ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
India win 24 medals, finish second at Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea
Gumi [South Korea], May 31 (ANI): The Indian athletes fought hard and gave a good account of themselves on the concluding day of the 26th Asian Athletics Championships here on Saturday in the South Korean City of Gumi to swell the overall medal tally to 24 to finish in second place behind China. Of the 24 medals, eight of them were gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals. China topped the table chart with 26 medals, including 15 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals, as per a press release from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Japan, with 24 medals, four of them gold, was third in the medal tally. All eyes on the final day of the continental competition were on the men's javelin throw. Sachin Yadav, on his international debut, recorded a personal and season best of 85.16m to win the silver medal behind Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem (86.40m). On his missing the automatic qualification mark of 85.50m for the September 13 to 21 Tokyo World Athletics Championships, Yadav said, the Asian championships were a good learning experience and he will get back to chalk out plans for his next competition. 'I missed vital training sessions due to ankle and shoulder niggle which hampered my preparation for the Asian meet. I should be able to recover the lost ground in the coming weeks to achieve my goal of earning a ticket to Worlds in my next competition,' Yadav said as quoted by the AFI press release. Yadav said he was focused on giving his best in his first international meet. 'I always focus on my performance during competition and don't look at the results of other competitors,' the Asian silver medallist said. The final day also saw Animesh Kujur sprinting to glory in the men's 200m. A false start by a Chinese sprinter didn't upset the Indian sprinter's strategy to win a medal in the 200m. On his way to winning bronze, Kujur clocked 20.32 seconds to better his own national record of 20.40 seconds set in a domestic meet in Kochi in April. 'The start was not so good. But good curve running enabled me to earn a medal in the Asian meet,' Kujur said in the post-race interaction. Indian quartet of Srabani Nanda, SS Sneha, Abhinaya Rajarajan and Nithya Gandhe clocked 43.86 seconds to win silver in women's 4x100m relay. China took home gold while Thailand won bronze. Distance runner Parul Chaudhary added a second silver to her kitty on Saturday. The winner of silver in the women's 3,000m steeplechase added a 5000m silver medal to her collection today. Middle-distance runner Pooja also added an 800m bronze to her kitty. She had won a 1500m silver in the competition. Vithya Ramraj also won bronze in the women's 400m hurdles. She clocked 56.46 seconds. However, Jyothi Yarraji and Nithya Gandhe weren't successful in winning medals in the women's 200m. Day 5 Results: Men: 200m: Towa Uzawa (Japan) 20.12 seconds, Abdulaziz Abdu A (Saudi Arabia) 20.31 seconds, Animesh Kujur (India) 20.32 seconds. 800m: Ebrahim Alzofairi (Kuwait) 1:44.59, Ali Amirian (Iran) 1:44.97, Abubaker H Abdalla (Qatar) 1:45.20, Krishan Kumar (India 7th) 1:48.72, Anu Kumar (India 8th)1:58.04. Javelin throw: Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) 86.40m, Sachin Yadav (India) 85.16m, Yuta Sakiyama (Japan) 83.75m, Yashvir Singh (India 5th) 82.57m. Women: 200m: Chen Yujie (China) 22.97 seconds, Veronica Shanti Pereira (Singapore) 22.98 seconds, Li Yuting (China) 23.23 seconds, Jyothi Yarraji (India 5th) 23.47 seconds, Nithya Gandhe (India 7th) 23.90 seconds. 800m: Wu Hongjiao (China)2:00.08, Rin Kubo (Japan) 2:00.42, Pooja (India) 2:01.89, Twinkle Chaudhary (India 4th) 2:03.33. 5,000m: Norah Jeruto Tanui (Kazakhstan) 14:58.71, Parul Chaudhary (India) 15:15.33, Yuma Yamamoto (Japan) 15:16.86, Sanjivani Jadhav (India 5th) 15:36.40.400m hurdles: Mo Jiadie (China) 55.31 seconds, Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya 55.32 seconds, Vithya Ramraj (India) 56.46 seconds, Anu R (India 7th) 57.46 seconds. 4x100m relay: China 43.28 seconds, India (Srabani Nanda, SS Sneha, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Nithya Gandhe) 43.86 seconds, Thailand 44.26 seconds. (ANI)
India Gazette
a day ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Indian sprinters win Silver at Asian Championships, secure spot at 2025 World Athletics Championship
Gumi [South Korea], May 31 (ANI): India's women's 4x100m relay team delivered a strong performance at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, clinching a silver medal with a timing of 43.86 seconds. The team--comprising Srabani Nanda, Abhinaya Rajarajan, SS Sneha, and Nithya Gandhe--finished second behind China, who took gold with 43.28 seconds. Thailand secured bronze in 44.26 seconds, as per a press release from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The result not only brought India a podium finish at the continental level but also secured the relay team's qualification for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo next year. Among the four sprinters, Sneha's selection and performance hold particular significance for HRDS INDIA SPORTS ACADEMY, which she represents. Her contribution to the medal-winning relay marks the first-ever international medal for the academy, which focuses on identifying and training talent from tribal and underprivileged communities across India. 'This silver medal is not just an individual milestone--it represents the success of a system that believes in talent, discipline, and opportunity,' said the founder secretary of HRDS INDIA. 'We are proud of Sneha and the entire Indian relay team. Their performance in Gumi shows that Indian athletics is moving in the right direction.' The academy has been actively working to build a robust grassroots system to support athletes from marginalised backgrounds, with a long-term vision of contributing to India's Olympic prospects for 2036. Sneha's qualification for the World Championships is seen as validation of that approach. As the athletes prepare for the global stage in Tokyo, the success in Gumi is expected to inspire a new generation of young Indian sprinters. For HRDS INDIA, the medal also reinforces its broader mission: to equip athletes with the training, support, and environment needed to compete at the highest levels of sport. (ANI)
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Animesh leads charge as young stars shine at Asian meet
CHENNAI: INDIAN athletics seems to be witnessing a new dawn where athletes don't fear international competitions anymore. Nor do they fear failure on big stage. The transformation from apprehension to infectious confidence seems to have brought in a change in attitude and according to former Athletics Federation of India and current spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla, this is because of quite a few reasons. One of them is exposure to international competitions and another was because of the number domestic competitions the AFI has been conducting. The Asian Athletics Championships has shown that youngsters have started producing results from 18 year-old to mid 20s. Out of the 24 medals India won, 20 of them have been won by those aged 26 or under. In addition to the medals, a few have shattered national and championship records as well. Young sprinter Animesh Kujur (21), javelin thrower Sachin Yadav (25) were among the stars on Saturday. While Animesh shattered his own national record in 200m, Sachin threw his personal best. There was an 18-year-old Abhinaya Rajarajan in the women's 4x100m relay team. On Friday, Pooja, 18, created a U20 national record in high jump. 21 year old heptathlete Nandini Agasara came close to breaking the national record.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Asian Athletics: India's Sachin Yadav wins javelin silver; Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem bags gold
In the absence of two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, both the Indian javelin throwers produced personal best efforts. Rising star Sachin Yadav sent his spear to 85.16m in his last attempt to finish behind Pakistan's reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who was appearing in his first competition since the Paris Games last year. The Pakistani fetched the gold with a 86.40m throw. Competing in his maiden major international meet, Sachin narrowly missed the World Championships qualification mark of 85.50m, and blamed his twin injuries — to the ankle and shoulder — for the shortfall. 'I'm not satisfied, but yes, I'll go back with a medal and a personal best,' said the 25-year-old, who had a previous personal best of 84.39m. Asked whether he could breach the qualifying mark in the next 2-3 months, with the World Championships scheduled in Tokyo this September, he remained hopeful. 'Once I return, I'll give my all in training. I've made some mistakes that affected my preparation. For instance, I had injuries — first in my ankle, then in my shoulder — which prevented me from training properly,' he said. 'I can't say exactly how much time I'll need, but I will try to give my best in the next competition and aim to qualify with a good distance,' added Sachin who hails from a farmer's family at Khekra village near Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh. Fellow Indian Yashvir Singh also impressed with a personal best of 82.57m for a fifth-place finish. India's first medal of the day came through Kujur, who ended a decade-long wait for the country in the men's 200m with a bronze. It was India's first in the event since Dharambir Singh's bronze in the 2015 edition. The 21-year-old from Odisha delivered a standout performance, clocking a national record of 20.32 seconds, bettering his own mark of 20.40s set earlier this year at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition. Highly impressed with Animesh Kujur's rapid progress, Adille J Sumariwalla, former president of the Athletics Federation of India and a former sprinter himself, hailed the youngster as one of the best in the country. 'He's an absolutely outstanding athlete. He's doing very, very well. And if he can just improve his start a little more, he'll be almost impossible to beat,' Sumariwalla said. 'He's one of those very, very talented sprinters among the best I've seen in India.' Japan's Towa Uzawa won gold with a time of 20.12s, while Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Abdu I Atafi took silver in 20.31s.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Gulveer Singh, Parul Chaudhary set new records in Gumi
Gumi [South Korea], May 30 (ANI): It was another exciting day for the Indian contingent at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi on Friday. The day after winning three gold medals, the Indian team continued to excel on the track as well in the field event, adding three gold medals on the penultimate day of the continental competition in South Korea. India's medal tally swelled to 18 with eight gold medals, seven silver and three bronze. One of the gold medals came in distance track race through star distance runner and Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalists, Gulveer Singh. The 26-year-old Army runner sprinted home to add 5,000m gold to his kitty to become the first Indian in the 26th Asian Championships to win two gold medals. He won the 10,000m gold on the opening day, as per a press release from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). 'My goal in Gumi was to win first position in both 5,000m and 10,000m. I am happy to have achieved my target in the continental competition,' the gold medal winner said. The battle for the home run in the men's 5,000m began with two laps to go. The leading group of three runners--- including Singh, Kieran Tuntivate (Thailand) and Nagiya Mori (Japan) started jostling for the right position and were closely bunched together at the bell. Singh anticipation was better than his rivals and made the right move to surge ahead at the bell. He continued to shift gear to out-sprint his rivals and crossed the finish line to win his second gold medal of the meet. Singh's winning time of 13:24.77 was better than the Asian Championships record of 13:34.47 set by Al Garni Mohamed of Qatar in 2015. 'My next goal is to give my best at the Worlds in September in Japan,' he added. Tuntivate was close second with a time of 13:24.97. While Mori was third (13:25.06). India's Abhishek Pal finished sixth in 13:33.51. India's Parul Chaudhary too had a good run in the women's 3,000m steeplechase. She improved the national record to 9:12.96 but 30 years old runner from Uttar Pradesh had to be satisfied with a silver medal. 'My race strategy was to stay with the leading runner (Norah Jeruto Tanui of Kazakhstan),' Parul said. 'I tried my best, but she surged ahead. But in the end, I am happy to have improved the national record,' she added. Away from the track races, India's teenage high jumper Pooja hogged the spotlight with an outstanding performance in the women's high jump. The 18-year-old Indian jumper cleared the bar at 1.89m to post a personal best and win India's third gold of the day. She made an attempt to further raise the bar but wasn't able to clear 1.92m in all three attempts. 'It was good day for me as I'm among the champions at the senior continental level,' Pooja said. India's third gold came in the heptathlon through Nandini Agasara. Indian contingent has bright chances to enhance medal tally on the final day further as several athletes have made it to the medals round in their respective events. Nithya Gandhe (23.77 seconds) and Jyothi Yarraji (23.74 seconds) advanced to the women's 200m final. The women's 400m hurdles qualification round saw both Vithya Ramraj (56.67 seconds) and Anu R (57.48 seconds) comfortably advancing to the medal distance runners Anu Kumar (1:47.00) and Krishan Kumar (1:48.66) made it to the finals in the men's 800m. Twinkle Chaudhary and Pooja have also qualified for the final of the women's 800m. Sprinter Animesh Kujur has advanced to the men's 200m final. The men's javelin final schedule for the last day will also be a big attraction as both Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh have qualified for the medal round today. Clubbed in Group B, Yadav's best throw was 79.62m while Yashvir's best throw in the qualification (Group A) was Yuta Sakiyana topped Group B with a throw of 81.36m. Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan dominated the field in Group A qualification round with a throw of 86.34m. However, it was bad luck for the men's 4x100m relay team as they were disqualified for baton exchange outside the zone. Day 4 Results-Men: 5,000m Gulveer Singh (India) 13:24.77, Kieran Tuntivate (Thailand) 13:24.97, Nagiya Mori (Japan) 13:25.06, Abhishek Pal (India 6th) 13:33.51. -Women: 3000m steeplechase: Norah Jeruto Tanui (Kazakhstan) 9:10.46, Parul Chaudhary (India) 9:12.46 (NR), Daisy Jepkemei (Kazakhstan), Ankita (India 5th) 9:41.54. -High jump; Pooja (India) 1.89m, Safina Sadullaeva (Uzbekistan) 1.86m, Yelizaveta Matveyeva (Kazakhstan) 1.86m. -Heptathlon: Nandini Agasara (India) 5941 points, Liu Jingyi Chin (China) 5869 points, Cai Juan Chen (Taipei) 5608 points. (ANI)
