Asian Athletics C'ships: Animesh Kujur breaks 200m national record; Sachin Yadav wins Javelin Silver

Sprinter Animesh Kujur stole the spotlight by setting a new national record in the men’s 200m final, while Sachin Yadav delivered a personal best to clinch silver in men’s javelin, at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships on a high note.

The 21-year-old Kujur clocked 20.32 seconds, breaking his own previous national mark of 20.40s set earlier this year. His standout sprint earned him the bronze medal behind Japan’s Towa Uzawa (20.12s) and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Abdu I Atafi (20.31s).

In the javelin final, India’s Sachin Yadav unleashed a massive throw of 85.16 meters to secure the silver medal. His fifth attempt also soared to 83.08m, underlining his top form.

Yadav narrowly missed the World Championships qualification mark by 34 cm. The gold went to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem with 86.40m, while Japan’s Ryohei Sakiyama took bronze at 83.75m. India’s Yashveer Singh also impressed, finishing fifth with a personal best of 82.57m, marking a strong statement for Indian javelin throwers on the continental stage.

Parul Chaudhary, meanwhile, completed a stellar double-silver campaign. After finishing second in the 3000m steeplechase, she added another silver in the 5000m, clocking 15:15.33s to secure the second spot once again — a remarkable feat for the distance specialist.

In the women’s 800m final, Pooja added another bronze to her tally, having previously medalled in the 1500m, capping off a successful meet.

India’s women’s 4x100m relay team of Srabani Nanda, Sneha S, Abinaya Shetty, and Nithya Gandhe made history by clinching silver with a timing of 43.86s — India’s first silver in this event at the Asian Championships since 2000.

Meanwhile, Vithya Ramraj, a bronze medallist at the Asian Games, secured another bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles. The 26-year-old from Tamil Nadu clocked 56.46 seconds to finish third behind China’s Mo Jiadie (55.31s) and Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Adekoya (55.32s).

Elsewhere, in the women’s 200m final, Jyoti Yarraji, fresh off her gold in the 100m hurdles earlier in the meet, finished fifth in 23.47s. Nithya Gandhe placed seventh with 23.90s.

With these final day results, India’s medal tally at the championships stands at 21, including 8 gold, marking a strong showing in Gumi.