Dakar, Nov 9:
India’s 17-year-old hurdler Shourya Ambure scripted history by clinching the bronze medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Youth Olympic Games on Sunday, clocking a personal best of 13.59 seconds.
The Maharashtra athlete, who entered the competition as India’s sole track and field participant at the Games, bettered her personal benchmark twice within hours—first timing 13.77 seconds in the semi-finals before shaving off another 0.18 seconds in the medal race.
China’s Zhang Keyi captured the gold medal in a wind-assisted 13.17 seconds, while France’s Anna Peeters claimed the silver medal in 13.57 seconds, edging out the Indian by two-hundredths of a second. Ambure’s podium finish caps an exceptional 18-month continental run, adding to her medal hauls at the Asian Under-18 Championships and Asian Youth Games.