India wins three athletics medals as 100m sprinters miss Asian Games final

India’s athletics campaign at the Asian Games produced three medals on September 25, although sprinters Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur failed to reach the men’s 100m final. Gurindervir, the Indian national record holder, ran 10.32 seconds in his semi-final and finished 11th overall. Kujur clocked 10.38 seconds in the third semi-final and placed 18th, ending India’s challenge in the event.

Gulveer Singh delivered India’s strongest result of the day by winning silver in the men’s 10,000m in 28:29.38. Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew won gold in 28:27.51, while Albert Kiptoo took bronze. Manpreet Kaur won bronze in the women’s shot put with a best effort of 17.17 metres.

China’s Song Jiayuan took gold with 19.40m and compatriot Linru Zhang won silver with 18.14m. Baranica Elangovan also won bronze in the women’s pole vault after clearing 4.15m. The result made her India’s first Asian Games medallist in the event.

Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova cleared the same height and shared bronze. Several Indian athletes advanced to finals. Vishal TK finished first in his men’s 400m heat, while Kiran won her women’s 400m heat and Prachi finished third in hers.

Their final was scheduled for September 26. In the women’s heptathlon, Pooja finished sixth and Anamika Aneesh eighth in the 800m. They stood seventh and ninth overall after the event.

In the men’s hammer throw, Damneet Singh finished ninth and Praveen Kumar 11th. The day therefore combined disappointment in the blue-riband sprint with medal success and progress in other athletics events.