Asian Games 2018: Hima Das, Muhammed Anas & Dutee Chand clinch silver

Jakarta, August 26: It was a gala day for India as Hima Das, Muhammed Anas Yahiya and Dutee Chand won silver at the Asian Games on Sunday (August 26). While Das and Anas clinched silver in the women’s and men’s 400m event respectively, Chand secured a podium finish in the women's 100m race at the 18th Asian Games as Indian athletes continued to put on a dominating show on Sunday (August 26).

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The silver medal each from Hima and Anas was on expected lines as the gold winners in their respective events were outright pre-race favourites.

While finishing second in the event, Das also set a new national record with a timing of 50.79 seconds. Meanwhile, pre-race favourite Salwa Naser finished on top of the podium clinching a gold medal finish.

Inspiring the nation once again!

Our 18 yr old star has made us super proud. Clinching a SILVER in women’s 400m at #AsianGames2018, she has also set a NR time of 50.79s.
Congratulations, @HimaDas8 !#SAI #IndiaAtAsianGames @afiindia #AsianGames2018 #Athletics #KheloIndia🇮🇳🥈 pic.twitter.com/by9L80EgTI

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 26, 2018

Hima had entered the final on the back of record-breaking heats performance. Das clocked 51.00, in the heats, breaking Manjit Kaur’s 14-year-old national record (51.05), which was set in Chennai. Earlier, in the Commonwealth Games this year, Hima had narrowly finished a creditable sixth in a tough field.

Meanwhile, Naser, the Nigerian-born 2017 World Championships silver medallist and winner of four legs of Diamond League Series this year, did not have to exert much in the end to clinch the goal.

Another Indian in the women's 400m final, Nirmala Sheoran finished fourth in 52.96. It was India's first medal in women's 400m since Manjeet Kaur won a silver at the 2006 Doha edition.

Meanwhile, in the men’s category, Anas, finished second on the podium with a timing of 45. 69, while Qatar’s Abdalelah Hassan, secured gold, clocking 44.89 seconds. It was heartbreak for the other Indian in the fray, Arokia Rajiv, failed to notch up the bronze, finishing fourth with a timing of 45. 84.

Anas entered Sunday’s final after topping the list of qualifiers, with a timing of 45.63, after eventual gold medallist, Abbas, who had clocked 45.81 seconds. Earlier, at the Commonwealth Games, the Kerala lad had narrowly missed out on the bronze by 0.02.

SILVER for @muhammedanasyah!

A superb run by our 23yr old #TOPSAthlete, #MuhammedAnas as he clinches a🥈in the Men’s 400m.

What a run by you, Anas! You have done #India proud. #SAI #IndiaAtAsianGames #Athletics #ProudIndia @afiindia @iaaforg #AsianGames2018 #KheloIndia🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/fDyBFAMkuJ

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 26, 2018

Meanwhile, star sprinter Chand secured a silver in women's 100m dash to win the country's first medal in 20 years in this event here on Sunday. Running in lane number 7, Dutte clocked 11.32 seconds, a tad below her national record of 11.29 seconds. Odiong Edidiong of Bahrain won the gold in 11.30 while Wei Yongli of China took the bronze in 11.33 in a close finish.

The 22-year-old from Odisha was taking part in her first Asian Games. She was suspended by the IAAF in 2014 under its hyperandrogenism policy but she filed an appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sports and won it. Recently, under a revised rule of the IAAF, Dutee was left outside the purview of the hyperandrogenism policy which gave her liberty to pursue her career. India's last medal in this event was the bronze won by Rachita Mistry in 1998 Asian Games.

Source: (With inputs from PTI)