Asian Athletics C'ships: Pooja Singh wins historic high jump gold, double delight for Gulveer

A golden day for Indian athletics on Day 4 of the 26th Asian Athletics Championships, as the nation clinched three gold medals,

Pooja Singh clinched the women’s high jump with a personal best of 1.89 meters, becoming only the second Indian woman ever to achieve this feat at the continental level.

In the final, Pooja outjumped strong rivals from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Safina Sadullaeva (UZB), Yelizaveta Matveyeva (KAZ), and Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (KAZ) all finished with 1.86m, but Pooja’s clean jumps and superior height secured her the top spot on the podium.

Bobby Aloysius was the first Indian woman to win a high jump gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, and she achieved that feat in 2000.

Now, with Pooja Singh’s victory in 2025, she becomes only the second Indian woman to claim gold in this event, a 25-year gap between Indian champions in women’s high jump at the Asian level.

Meanwhile, Gulveer Singh completed a stunning 5000 m- 10000 m double. After winning the 10000m gold on the previous day, Gulveer returned to the men’s 5000m to take his second gold medal of the championships. His gritty performance added India’s sixth gold to the overall tally.

His double victory is a rare achievement and a historic moment in Indian distance running.

Adding more glory to India’s campaign, Nandini Agasara clinched the women’s heptathlon gold medal, showcasing her all-around excellence across seven demanding disciplines.

With a determined run in the final event, the 800m, she scored 885 points, enough to push past China’s Liu Jingyi and seal the gold. Nandini finished with a total of 5941 points, edging out Liu’s 5869 — a breakthrough win that reflects India’s growing strength in multi-event athletics.

Parul Chaudhary also shattered the National Record (NR) in the women’s 3000m steeplechase for the second time in less than a month. Clocking 9:12.46, Parul eclipsed her own previous record set just weeks ago in Doha, claiming silver in the event and continuing her remarkable run of form.

India's medal tally has now moved to 18 medals with 8 golds, 7 silvers, and 3 bronze medals after day 4.

Day-4 Medalists

Gold - Gulveer Singh - 5000m

Gold - Pooja Singh - High Jump

Gold - Agasara Nandini - Heptathlon

Silver - Parul Chaudhary - Women's 3000m Steeplechase