Asian Games 2018: 3 silver medals in athletics as Sudha Singh, Dharun, Neena Varakil shine on Day 9

Add as a preferred source on Google

Jakarta, August 27: Veteran Indian long distance runner Sudha Singh on Monday (August 27) clinched a silver in women's 3000m steeplechase event in the Asian Games here.

Asian Games Special Page | Asian Games Schedule | Medals tally

Sudha clocked 9 minute 40.03 seconds to win her second Asian Games medal. Winfred Yavi of Bahrain took the gold in 9:36.52 while Thi Oanh Nguyen of Vietnam bagged the bronze in 9:43.83. The 32-year-old Sudha had won a gold medal when women's 3000m steeplechase was introduced in the Asian Games in 2010.

Sudha has a personal best of 9:26.55 while her season's best is 9:39.59 which she came up with during the National Inter-State Championships in June.

"Lots of new girls are coming up in steeplechase, which is heartening to see. It was not the case earlier. Hope this silver inspires more youngsters," she said.

Earlier, Dharun Ayyasamy won a silver in men's 400m hurdles in national record time. Ayyasamy clocked 48.96 seconds to shatter his own national record and finish behind Qatar's Abderrahman Samba who won the gold with a Games record time of 47.66.

His earlier national record was 49.45 which he had come up with during the Federation Cup in March. The 21-year-old from Tamil Nadu was fourth till the 300m mark but passed two competitors in the last 100m stretch to cross the finishing line in 48.96, his personal best mark.

It is India's first medal in the event since Joseph Abraham won a gold in 2010.

Dharun hopes that his silver will be enough to get him a job so that he can support his stoic mother, who raised him single-handedly after the death of his father.
"My father passed away when I was eight years old. My mother has made a lot of sacrifices for me. I owe her this. She is still earning just Rs 14,000 per month as a teacher," said the 21-year-old from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, Neena Varakil gave India a third silver medal from the athletics arena on Day 9 after she came second in the women's long jump event.

Varakil's best jump of 6.51m came in the fourth attempt, which was enough to fetch her the silver. Thi Thu Thao Bui of Vietnam won the gold with a season's best jump of 6.55, which she managed in her first attempt. The bronze was bagged by Xiaoling Xu of China with an effort of 6.50.

The other Indian in fray, James Nayana was way below the mark with an effort of 6.14. In fact, she could register just two successful attempts out of six.