Rijiju hails Parul Chaudhary's bronze in Asian Games steeplechase
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A personal best of 9:08.67 — and a bronze medal to go with it. Parul Chaudhary delivered a landmark performance in the women's 3000 metres Steeplechase at the Asian Games, drawing congratulations from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Parul's personal-best run earns India a podium finish
Parul Chaudhary's time of 9:08.67 in the steeplechase represents the sharpest marker of her progress as an elite middle-distance runner — a personal best that landed her on the Asian Games podium. The steeplechase is one of athletics' most technically demanding disciplines, requiring competitors to clear water jumps and barriers across 3000 metres, blending raw endurance with precise footwork under race pressure.
For Indian athletics, a steeplechase bronze at the Asian Games is meaningful. India's presence at the sharp end of Asian track events has grown steadily, and an individual medal in a gruelling barrier race signals depth in a discipline the country has historically found challenging.
Rijiju's acknowledgement and what it signals
Minister Rijiju, one of Indian sport's most vocal advocates in government, posted his congratulations under the #Cheer4Bharat banner — the rallying tag India's sports ecosystem uses at every major multi-sport outing. 'Congratulations to Parul Chaudhary on winning bronze medal in women's 3000 metres Steeplechase event at #AsianGames with personal best time of 9:08.67,' he wrote.
Such acknowledgements from senior ministers are now a fixture of India's sporting culture — part recognition, part signal to the broader athletics pipeline that individual performances at continental level are watched and valued at the highest levels of government.
For Parul Chaudhary, the clock doesn't lie: 9:08.67, a new personal ceiling cleared on the biggest Asian stage — and plenty more barriers left to cross.