Asian Games: Sreeshankar, Vithya Secure Spots in Finals
Murali Sreeshankar and David Solomon secure long jump finals, while Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan qualify for the 400m hurdles final at Asian Games.
It was a day of high drama and significant breakthroughs for the Indian contingent at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Indian track and field athletes emerged as the primary highlights, securing crucial places in major finals, even as other disciplines faced challenging setbacks.
Long Jump and Hurdles: The Bright Spots
The men's long jump saw a double success for India, with Murali Sreeshankar and David Patturaj Solomon both punching their tickets to the final round. Sreeshankar demonstrated his class in Group B, securing the second position with a commanding leap of 7.84 m. Meanwhile, in Group A, David Solomon fought hard to finish third, recording a best jump of 7.62 m to ensure his place among the elite jumpers.
The momentum continued on the track in the women's 400m hurdles. India will have two representatives in the final after Vithya Ramraj and Anu Raghavan both finished second in their respective heats. The performances were marked by significant personal milestones:
- Vithya Ramraj: Clocked a season-best time of 55.73 seconds.
- Anu Raghavan: Delivered a stellar personal best of 55.84 seconds.
Decathlon Drama: Tejaswin Shankar Slides Down
The decathlon provided one of the most intense narratives of the day. Tejaswin Shankar, who had been leading the pack and was firmly in contention for a gold medal, faced a sudden setback during the discus throw event.
Entering the event, Tejaswin held a strong lead with 5,270 points, bolstered by a third-place finish in the 110m hurdles heat (14.33 seconds). However, a disappointing discus throw of 36.77 m—nearly four metres short of his personal best—saw his total rise to 5,869 points. This performance caused him to slip from the top spot to third place, with athletes from China and Japan now occupying the leading positions. With the pole vault and javelin throw remaining, Tejaswin faces a steep climb to reclaim his podium standing.
Setbacks in Kurash and Race Walking
While the athletics squad celebrated, other Indian athletes struggled to find their rhythm. In the Kurash competition, India faced a series of quick exits:
- Vishal: Lost 0-5 to Thailand's Kunathip Yea-On in the men's +90 kg quarterfinals.
- Sangita Balhara: Suffered a 10-0 defeat against the Philippines' Charmea Quelino in the round of 32.
- Bharti: Fell 3-0 to Iran's Tahereh Azarpeivand in the round of 16.
- Yash Kumar: Concluded his campaign with a 10-0 loss to Tajikistan's Shakarmamad Mirmamadov in the round of 16.
The women's marathon race walk also proved difficult for the Indian duo. Manju Rani finished in sixth place with a time of 3:40:17, while Priyanka Goswami faced the ultimate disappointment when she was disqualified after the 9 km mark.