NAGOYA, SEP 27 (IANS/PTI): India’s Sarvesh Kushare and Ancy Sojan led for most of their respective men’s high jump and women’s long jump finals before settling for the silver medals while Parul Chaudhary took home women’s 3000m steeplechase bronze at the Asian Games here on Sunday.
After leading for a good part of his competition, Sarvesh slipped to second position after he failed to clear 2.25 on his very first attempt, while Chinese Taipei’s Chao Hsuan-Fu cleared the height on his first attempt.
Kushare, though, cleared it on the second attempt.
Ancy recorded a best jump of 6.53m to finish behind Huang Yingying of China, who produced a late 6.55m jump to snatch gold in the women’s long jump final.
Earlier, India’s Harita Bhadra clinched the bronze medal in the women’s 200m, clocking 23.20 seconds in the final.
Bhadra finished third, just ahead of Japan’s Ido Abigeirufuka, who clocked 23.21 seconds.
There was, however, heartbreak for Ancy’s compatriot Shaili Singh, who missed out on a bronze medal in the women’s long jump final after China’s Mengyi Tan produced a 6.46m effort to move ahead of the Indian jumper.
Ancy recorded 6.53m on her fifth attempt but Yingying had the last laugh, going past the Indian with a 6.55m.
Shaili’s best was 6.42m on the day.
In the women’s 200m final, Singapore’s Shanti Pereira won the gold with a season-best 22.78 seconds, while China’s Chen Yujie took the silver in 22.93 seconds.
The other Indian in the final, Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland, finished sixth with a timing of 23.48 seconds.
Parul, who had won a bronze in the previous edition, grabbed her second consecutive bronze with personal best time of 9:08.67.
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi grabbed gold, finishing ahead of Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto Tanui (9:06.82).
Parul Chaudhary wins women’s 3000m Steeplechase bronze
In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, experienced Indian athlete Parul Chaudhary bounced back from her fourth-place finish in the 1500m to produce a strong performance and secure the bronze medal.
Parul clocked 9:08.67, smashing her own national record and becoming the first Indian woman to go below the 9:10 mark in the event.
She stayed with the leading group from the beginning and was in contention for silver around the halfway stage. However, she could not maintain her position and finished 2.46 seconds behind Kazakhstan’s Norah Tanui, who won silver in 9:06.82.
Bahrain’s Yavi Winfred claimed gold in a games-record time of 9:04.36. India’s other entrant, Ankita, finished fourth with a timing of 9:19.24.
The bronze is Parul’s third Asian Games medal. She had earlier won gold in the 5000 m and silver in the 3000 m steeplechase at the Hangzhou Games in 2022.
Tejaswin claims bronze medal in men’s decathlon
Star Indian track and field athlete Tejaswin Shankar claimed the bronze medal in men’s decathlon after he won the 1500m race — the last event of a highly taxing competition — at the Asian Games here on Sunday.
Shankar won the bronze after finishing third with 7,934 points.
National record holder Shankar entered the second day at the top of the standings with 4,338 points after a strong opening day across the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m.
Across 10 events over two days, Tejaswin saved his best for last, winning the 1500m in 4:33.09.
Earlier this year, he won a bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Anahat and Abhay claim historic silvers
India’s squash campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 witnessed both triumph and heartbreak as teenage prodigy Anahat Singh and men’s contender Abhay Singh secured silver medals in their respective singles finals but narrowly missed out on direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where squash will debut.
Anahat Singh’s historic silver
At just 18, Anahat became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in singles squash at the Asian Games, cementing her status as one of the brightest young talents in the sport.
Facing Malaysia’s defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women’s singles final, Anahat fell 4-11, 4-11, 7-11 in straight games at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Despite her spirited fight, the Malaysian’s superior attack and defense proved decisive. The victory not only gave Sivasangari back-to-back Asian Games golds but also secured her the coveted Olympic quota spot for LA28.
Anahat’s journey to the final was remarkable. She stunned World No.6 Satomi Watanabe in the semifinal, rallying from two games down and saving two match points to become the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games squash final.
Her silver medal marks a breakthrough moment for Indian women’s squash, even though she narrowly missed the Olympic berth.
Abhay Singh’s silver in men’s singles
Earlier in the day, India’s Abhay Singh also settled for silver after losing to Malaysia’s defending champion Eain Yow Ng 9-11, 5-11, 5-11 in the men’s singles final. The 44-minute contest was competitive in the opening game, with Abhay briefly leading 2-1 and later leveling at 8-8.
However, Eain’s composure and tactical precision saw him close out the first game 11-9 before dominating the next two.
Abhay’s silver makes him only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal (2014, 2023) to achieve this feat. Yet, like Anahat, he missed out on the direct Olympic qualification reserved for the gold medallist.
The Malaysian champion retained his Asian Games title without dropping a single game throughout the competition, becoming the first squash player to qualify for LA28.