Asian Athletics Championships 2025: India defends 4x400m combined relay gold on Day 2; Tejaswin, Chithravel win silver

India’s 4x400m combined relay crew defended its gold with a domineering efficiency after 4 particular person silvers and a bronze in various occasions bolstered the nation’s general tally to eight medals on a superb second day on the twenty sixth Asian Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea.

The Indian quartet of Rupal Chaudhary, Santhosh Kumar, Vishal TK and Subha Venkatesan received the highest honours with a timing of three:18.12sec. Of those, Rupal additionally claimed the person ladies’s 400m silver earlier within the day.

Subha was additionally part of the combined crew that claimed gold within the 2023 version.

China, who completed a distant second with a time of three:20.52s, and Sri Lanka, who clocked 3:21.95s to take third place, have been each disqualified. The explanations for his or her disqualification haven’t been disclosed but.

As a result of disqualifications, Kazakhstan (3:22.70s) and Korea (3:22.87s) clinched the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The largely US-based Tejaswin Shankar was among the many silver-winners for India, ending second in decathlon after accumulating a rating of 7618 following the regulation 10 occasions. He ended behind China’s Fei Xiang (7634) and forward of Japan’s Keisuke Okuda (7602).

Praveen Chithravel additionally bagged a silver medal in males’s triple leap with a greatest effort of 16.90m.

Chithravel mentioned the situations have been regular for him on Wednesday as he’s accustomed to way more antagonistic conditions whereas competing overseas.

“Right now, the situations have been excellent. Within the first two jumps, I simply wished to get into the highest 8. Then, on the third leap, I hit 16.90m – and proper after that, it began raining. After the third leap, my physique began feeling heavy each time I jumped. So right now, it was the identical,” he mentioned.

“The primary leap was 16.60m, the second was 16.67m, after which the third was 16.90m. After that, I felt very comfy. However about 10 minutes later, it began raining.

“Really, that is regular for me. At any time when I compete overseas, it’s often chilly and wet, so I felt the identical right now. After the rain, it takes greater than 40 minutes for me to get well. So then, my physique begins to go down, and I’ve to essentially push myself. After which… every part is finished.”

Earlier, Rupal (400m) and Pooja (1500m) picked up silver medals, Yoonus Shah fetched a bronze in males’s 1500m.

The combined gold was India’s second high end after
nationwide record-holder Gulveer Singh’s (10,000m) brilliance
on Tuesday.

Quarter-miler Rupal opened India’s account for the day, clocking 52.68 seconds to complete second within the ladies’s 400m ultimate. Fellow Indian Vithya Ramraj was positioned fifth with a time of 53.00 seconds.

The gold went to Japan’s Nanako Matsumoto (52.17s), whereas Uzbekistan’s Jonbibi Hukmova (52.79s) took bronze.

Pooja adopted with one other silver, clocking 4:10.83sec within the ladies’s 1500m, simply forward of compatriot Lili Das, who completed fourth (4:13.81sec).

Li Chunhui of China (4:10.58) received the gold whereas and Japan’s Tomaka Kimura ran a season’s greatest time of 4:11.56 to assert the bronze medal.

Rupal had scripted historical past by turning into the primary Indian athlete to win two medals on the World U20 Athletics Championships in 2022, claiming a silver within the 4x400m relay adopted by a bronze within the ladies’s 400m occasions again then.

Hailing from a farming household in Shahpur Jainpur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district, the 20-year-old is being seen as a vibrant prospect.

A delighted Rupal mentioned she hopes to higher her private greatest timing however earlier than that she desires to repair her damage points.

“My coaching was going effectively until nationwide. After that, I used to be a little bit fearful on account of my damage. However the best way my coaching goes and my efficiency goes, I’m okay. I’m feeling okay. However I’m not glad,” she mentioned.

“So, my predominant goal any longer is to repair the issues that I’ve in my again, in my hamstring. And based on the coaching that I did earlier than the nationwide, I’ve already performed my private greatest throughout my coaching.

“So, I believe I can enhance my private greatest. So, I’ll do this after I depart from right here,” Rupal added.

Within the males’s 1500m, Yoonus clinched bronze with a time of three:43.03, pushing India’s medal depend to 5.

Japanese runner Kazuto Lizawa ran a private greatest of three:42.56 to take residence the coveted gold medal whereas South Koreas Jaeung Lee (3:42.79) completed second.

Other than nationwide record-holder Gulveer’s gold, Servin Sebastian clinched the 20km race stroll bronze on the opening day of the competitors.

In different outcomes, Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi ran a private better of 45.57s within the males’s 400m however that would solely fetch him a fourth-place end.

Lengthy jumpers Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan certified for the ultimate of the ladies’s lengthy leap occasion.

Shaili had a greatest effort 6.17m, the third greatest within the 20-woman area. Ancy 6.14m sealed her place within the ultimate.

Hurdler Jyoti Yarraji certified for the following spherical after ending with a time of 13.18s in her warmth. She crossed the road in third place.