Asian Athletics Championships | It rains silver for India on final day

D.P. Manu who won the javelin throw silver at the Asian Championships in Bangkok on Sunday, July 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: File photo: RITU RAJ KONWAR

India sorely missed national record-holder Muhammed Anas as it picked up a silver in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 25th Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok on Sunday.

And there was big disappointment in the women’s mile relay where India, the champion in the last five editions of the Asian Games, could manage just a bronze. Vietnam and Sri Lanka grabbed the brighter medals ahead of India.

After picking golds the last three days, there was a silver shower — eight of them — on the championships’ final day. And India finished third in the medals’ table with six gold, 12 silver and nine bronze. Japan and China took the first two spots.

The most surprising performance came from Abha Khatau, who equalled Manpreet Kaur’s national record of 18.06m while taking the women shot put silver. The 28-year-old, who could manage just 15.98, 16.57 and 16.39 in her last three competitions, improved her personal best by 89cms.

Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary, who had won a gold each earlier, got a silver in the women’s 200m and 5000m respectively. Jyothi, the first Indian to win the 100m hurdles gold at the Asians, produced a personal best in the 200m on Sunday.

“I hope to improve and go below 23s soon,” said Jyothi.

Meanwhile javelin thrower D.P. Manu gabbed a silver with a last-round effort of 81.01m.

India was in the lead in each of the first three legs in the men’s 4x400m relay but let the advantage slip in the last leg and finished with the silver. And Sri Lanka, which last won the gold in 2003, was back as champion.

The results (medallists and Indian performances): Men: 200m: 1. Towa Uzawa (Jpn) 20.23s, 2. Yang Chun Han (Tpe) 20.48, 3. Koki Ueyama (Jpn) 20.53.

800m: 1. Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (Qat) 1:45.53s, 2. Krishan Kumar (Ind) 1:45.88, 3. Ebrahim Alzofairi (Kuw) 1:46.11; 7. Muhammed Afsal (Ind) 1:48.77.

5000m: 1. Hyuga Endo (Jpn) 13:34.94s, 2. Kazuya Shiojiri (Jpn) 13:43.92, 3. Gulveer Singh (Ind) 13:48.33. 14. Abhishek Pal (Ind) 15:00.03.

Pole vault: 1. Ernest John (Phi) 5.91m CR, OR 5.71, own, 2019; 2. Hussain Asim (KSA) 5.56, 3. Huang Bokai (Chn) 5.51.

Javelin throw: 1. Roderik Genki Dean (Jpn) 83.15m, 2. D.P. Manu (Ind) 81.01, 3. Muhammed Yasir (Pak) 79.93.

20km walk: 1. Yutaro Murayama (Jpn) 1:24.41s, 2. Wang Kaihua (Chn) 1:25.30, 3. Vikash Singh (Ind) 1:29.33; Akshdeep Singh (Ind) disqualified.

4x400m relay: 1. Sri Lanka 3:01.56s, 2. India (Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal, Mijo Chacko, Rajesh Ramesh) 3:01.80, 3. Qatar 3:04.26.

Women: 200m: 1. Veronica Shanti Pereira (Sgp) 22.70s, 2. Jyothi Yarraji (Ind) 23.13, 3. Li Yuting (Chn) 23.25.

800m: 1. Dissanayaka Tharushi Dilsara (Sri) 2:00.66s, 2. Chanda (Ind) 2:01.58, 3. Artigala Gayanthika Thushari (Sri) 2:03.25.

5000m: 1. Yuma Yamamoto (Jpn) 15:51.16s, 2. Parul Chaudhary (Ind) 15:52.35, 3. Ankita (Ind) 16:03.33.

4x400m relay: 1. Vietnam (3:32.36s), 2. Sri Lanka (3:33.27), 3. India (Rezoana Mallick Heena, Aishwarya Mishra, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Subha Venkatesan) 3:33.73.

20km walk: 1. Yang Liujing (Chn) 1:32.38s, 2. Priyanka (Ind) 1:34.24, 3. Yukiko Umeno (Jpn) 1:36.18; 5. Bhawna Jat (Ind) 1:38.27.

Shot put: 1. Song Jiayuan (Chn) 18.88m, 2. Abha Khatua (Ind) 18.06 equalled national record; 3. Manpreet Kaur (Ind) 17.00.