Nagoya, Sept 29:
India added eight medals on a rain-disrupted Day 10 of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with athletics accounting for six podium finishes. The day also saw a dramatic silver for shooter Esha Singh and a bronze in kurash, while persistent rain disrupted cricket, tennis and several other events.
India’s athletics campaign was led by a double podium in the men’s javelin throw. Yashvir Singh produced a personal-best effort of 85.72 metres to win the silver medal, while Rohit Yadav took bronze with 84.35 metres. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage won gold with a throw of 88.55 metres.
The javelin result was particularly significant as India competed without defending champion Neeraj Chopra. Yashvir, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, handled the difficult rain-affected conditions well to secure silver, while Rohit completed a memorable double podium for India. Yashvir said the wet conditions made it difficult for the athletes to maintain their grip and execute their throws.
Murali Sreeshankar secured silver in the men’s long jump with a best effort of 8.07 metres. The Commonwealth Games medallist was forced to end his competition early after suffering an injury during his fourth attempt, but his opening efforts were enough to secure another Asian Games medal. He also successfully defended the silver medal he won at the previous edition.
Gulveer Singh added another silver in the men’s 1,500 metres. He finished runner-up with a strong performance after having already won silver in the men’s 10,000 metres earlier in the Games. His latest medal further strengthened India’s athletics haul in Nagoya.
Vithya Ramraj produced one of the day’s most notable performances by winning bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles in 54.75 seconds. Her run also rewrote the Indian national record, surpassing the long-standing mark set by legendary athlete PT Usha more than four decades ago. The performance gave Vithya a place in Indian athletics history while adding another medal to India’s growing tally.
Parul Chaudhary completed the athletics medal haul with bronze in the women’s 5,000 metres, clocking 15:14.61. It was her second bronze of the Games after her podium finish in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. The two medals have come within a short span, underlining her consistency across the distance events.
Shooting also produced a silver medal for India, with Esha Singh finishing runner-up in the women’s 25m pistol. She battled through a tense final and shoot-offs before securing silver with 38 points. Esha’s medal added another major result to India’s strong shooting campaign at the Games.
India’s eighth medal of the day came in kurash, where Pincky Balhara won bronze in the women’s under-78kg category. She defeated South Korea’s Lim Garam in the quarterfinals to assure herself a place on the podium.
Rain disrupts cricket and tennis
The weather remained one of the biggest stories of the day. India’s men’s cricket quarter-final against Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled after persistent rain left the ground unfit for play. India advanced to the semi-finals under the tournament’s ranking-based knockout rules, having entered the quarter-finals with the higher ranking. India will face the winner of the Sri Lanka-Nepal quarter-final in the last four as they continue their bid to retain the gold medal won at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
Tennis was also affected by the weather. Sumit Nagal’s men’s singles match against South Korea’s Hong Seongchan was suspended with Nagal leading 3-2 in the opening set. The rain also caused scheduling delays and disruption to other matches.
Despite the weather, India’s hockey team completed its Pool A campaign with a 10-0 win over Bangladesh. Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick and Shilanand Lakra struck twice as India finished top of the group with five wins from five matches. India will face Pakistan in the semi-final on October 1.
India’s squash teams also progressed to the quarter-finals, while the men’s volleyball team recorded its second win of the competition. In boxing, Lovlina Borgohain, Priya Ghanghas and Kapil Pokhariya advanced to the semi-finals, assuring India of three more medals.