Gulveer Singh, Vithya Ramraj Shine At Asian Games
India enjoyed a productive day in athletics at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Monday, with Gulveer Singh winning silver in the men’s 1500m and Vithya Ramraj claiming bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Gulveer clocked a personal best of 3:36.72 to secure his second silver medal of the ongoing Games, while Ramraj set a new national record of 54.75 seconds to win her second medal of the competition.
However, Avinash Sable missed out on a podium finish in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, finishing fourth despite recording a season’s best.
Gulveer Singh Wins Second Asian Games Silver
Gulveer Singh continued his impressive campaign by securing silver in the men’s 1500m final with a personal best of 3:36.72.
Japan’s Kazuto Iizawa won gold, while his compatriot Nagiya Mori took bronze with a time of 3:37.92.
The other Indian in the final, Yoonus Shah, finished ninth in 3:43.88.
Gulveer had earlier won silver in the men’s 10,000m, making the 1500m podium finish his second medal at the ongoing Asian Games.
Vithya Ramraj Breaks PT Usha’s National Record
Vithya Ramraj secured bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles with a personal best of 54.75 seconds, breaking a national record that had stood for more than four decades.
The 28-year-old from Coimbatore bettered the previous record of 55.42 seconds set by legendary Indian athlete PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Ramraj finished behind the UAE’s Mariam Kareem, who won gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, and Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems, who took silver in a personal best of 54.58 seconds.
The bronze was Ramraj’s second medal at the ongoing Asian Games. She was also part of India’s silver-winning 4x400m mixed relay team.
“Medal is in our hands, but time is not. This race will not come tomorrow or yesterday. Today is our day, so I was going for the timing, not the medal,” Ramraj said.
She credited her coach, Nehpal Singh Rathore, for guiding her race strategy and expressed happiness at breaking the 55-second barrier.
India’s Anu Raghavan finished fifth with a personal best of 55.88 seconds.
Avinash Sable Finishes Fourth In Steeplechase
Avinash Sable could not defend his Asian Games gold in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, finishing fourth with a season’s best of 8:21.67.
The 32-year-old from Maharashtra finished 4.31 seconds behind Japan’s Ryuji Miura, who won gold in a Games-record 8:17.36.
Miura’s compatriot Ryoma Aoki secured silver with a personal best of 8:17.60, while Qatar’s Zakaria Elahlaami took bronze in 8:18.13.
Sable, a two-time Olympian, had been dealing with injuries ahead of the competition.
Other Indian Athletics Results
India’s Santosh Kumar Tamilarasan finished seventh in the men’s 400m hurdles final, clocking 49.95 seconds.
In the women’s discus throw, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Seema Kaliramna finished fourth despite recording a personal best of 59.88 metres in her fifth attempt.
All three medal winners produced throws beyond the 60-metre mark.
