How Did Yarraji and Sable Shine at the Asian Athletics Championships?

Gumi (South Korea), May 29 (NationPress) Indian superstar hurdler Jyothi Yarraji clinched the gold medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Asian Athletics Championships on Thursday. Not only did she defend her title, but she also set a new competition record with a stunning time of 12.96 seconds.

Japan's Yumi Tanaka took home the silver medal, edging out China's Wu Yanni by a mere 0.007 seconds. Jyothi's late surge reaffirmed her dominance in this event, breaking the previous records of 13.04 seconds set by Kazakhstan's Olga Shishigina in 1998 and Sun Yawei of China in 2011.

In another remarkable achievement for India, steeplechase athlete Avinash Sable also shone brightly, securing a gold medal in the men's 3000m steeplechase with a season-best time of 8:20.92. This victory marked his second medal at the Asian Championships, having previously won silver in 2019. Although he triumphed this time, his performance was just shy of his national record of 8:09.91, set in 2024.

India's long wait for a gold medal in the men’s steeplechase at the Asian Championships has finally come to an end, marking the first such victory since Dina Ram in 1989. This milestone traces back even further to 1975 when Harbel Singh became the first Indian to achieve gold in this discipline.

Continuing India's success, Jyothi showcased an impressive performance in the women’s 100m hurdles. Though her gold-winning time was 13.09 seconds, her personal best and current national record stands at an impressive 12.78 seconds. A former silver medallist at the Asian Games, Jyothi made history by becoming just the fifth athlete to successfully defend her title in the 100m hurdles at the Asian Championships, joining legends such as Japan’s Emi Akimoto and China’s Zhang Yu.

Just moments before Jyothi's victory, Sable, the champion of the Hangzhou Asian Games, demonstrated his prowess in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. He executed a well-timed sprint on the final lap, overtaking Japan’s Yutaro Niinae, who had led the race with three laps remaining. Sable finished strong, while Niinae secured silver with a time of 8:24.41, and Qatar’s Zakaria Elahlaami took home the bronze with 8:27.12.

Earlier in the day, India’s 4x400m men’s relay team delivered their best performance to dominate their heat and secure a place in the final. The team comprised Rince Joseph, Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil Saji, and Mohit Kumar, clocking an impressive 3:06.28 to finish ahead of China (3:06.79) and hosts South Korea (3:10.05). The Indian team will compete from lane five against strong challengers like Sri Lanka, China, and Kazakhstan, with Sri Lanka entering with the season’s fastest time of 3:01.56.

In the women’s 10,000m final, Sanjeevani Jadhav achieved her season’s best time of 33:08.17, finishing fifth, narrowly ahead of compatriot Seema, who placed sixth with 33:08.23. The race was dominated by Kazakhstan’s Daisy Jepkemei, who took gold with 30:48.44, followed by Japan’s Ririrak Hironika and Mikuni Yada.

With two gold medals on Thursday, India’s medal tally now stands at 10, comprising four gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.