Asian Games 2023: Avinash Sable, Tajinderpal Singh Toor lead the way as India win 15 medals on Day 8

The Indian contingent had quite the windfall on Sunday, winning as many as 15 medals on Day 8 of the 2023 Asian Games to take their overall count past the 50-mark.

A majority of those medals on a Super Sunday came in athletics, with the likes of Avinash Sable and Tajinderpal Singh Toor winning gold in men’s 3000m steeplechase and men’s shot put events respectively.

India also won gold in the trap men’s team event thanks to the trio of Kynan Chenai, Zoravar Sandhu and Prithviraj Tondaiman. Besides three gold, the Indians won seven silver medals along with five bronze, and were fourth on the Hangzhou medal table with a total of 53 medals to their credit.

With the eighth day of competition coming to a conclusion, we revisit the medals won by Indian athletes on the day along with other highlights:

Golf: Aditi finishes with silver

Aditi Ashok on Sunday clinched a historic silver in women’s golf at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. This was India’s first ever medal in women’s golf at the Asian Games.

Coming into the final day with a commanding seven-stroke lead, Aditi saw the advantage evaporate as she stumbled upon four bogeys and a double bogey against a lone birdie to slip to the second position.

The 25-year-old ended her campaign with a four-day aggregate of 17-under 271 as Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol held her nerves to produce her week’s best card of 64 and claim the coveted gold medal.

Korea’s Hyunjo Yoo, too, carded an improved 65 to win a bronze.

It was India’s fourth individual medal in golf with Lakshman Singh and Shiv Kapur winning the gold in the 1982 and 2002 editions and Rajiv Mohta claiming a silver in New Delhi.

Shooting: Women’s trap team win silver, men’s trap team clinch gold

The Indian women’s trap team comprising of Rajeshwari Kumari, Manisha Keer and Preeti Rajak clinched silver in the shooting event at the 2023 Asian Games on Sunday.

The trio finished behind LI Qingnian, Wu Cuicui and Zhang Xinqiu with a total score of 337. The Chinese won gold with a total score of 357.

Mariya Dmitriyenko, Aizhan Dosmagambetoa and Anastassiya Prilepina of Kazkhstan clinched bronze with a score of 336.

In the men’s trap event, the trio of Prithviraj Tondaiman, Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Kynan Darius Chenai clinched gold medal with a score of 361 points.

In the men’s trap individual event, Kynan Darius Chenai clinched bronze medal with a score of 32, behind gold medallist Qi Ying of China and Talal Alrashidi of Kuwait, who won silver.

This was India’s 22nd, and final medal in shooting at this year’s Asian Games

Boxing: Parveen assured of medal; Nikhat bows out with bronze

World Championship bronze medallist boxer Parveen Hooda assured India of a medal and also grabbed a Paris Olympic quota by moving into the 57kg semifinals.

Parveen, who won the bronze medal in the 63kg at the 2022 World Boxing Championships, moved passed Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova by unanimous verdict in the quarterfinal.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria, however, crashed out of the 60kg contest after conceding a second round RSC (referee stops contest) to North Korean boxer Won Ungyong in her quarterfinal bout.

Additionally, Nikhat Zareen, competing in the women’s 50kg category, had to settle for bronze after losing to Rakast Chuthamat of Thailand.

The Thai girl won 2-1 on split decision in the semifinal contest. Zareen had won the first round, but her rival emerged the victor in the two following rounds.

Jasmine took on Ungyong Won of North Korea in the quarter-finals of the women’s 60kg category. While the Indian had won the opening round, Won scripted a comeback in the second round with some attacking moves.

Jasmine eventually faltered to defeat, as a result of Won’s clinical display, and the North Korean won the bout by a Referee Stops Contest (RSC) verdict.

Athletics: Sable, Toor highlight of India’s track and field heroics

Avinash Sable became the first Indian man to win 3000m steeplechase gold at Asian Games while shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor pulled off a big final round throw to defend his title on a medal-laden day which fetched nine podium finishes.

The day was also marred by controversy in the women’s 100m hurdles final. Jyothi Yarraji, along with Chinese runner Wu Yanni, was disqualified for false start but the judges later allowed the race to be run.

Lin Yuwei of China won the race with a time of 12.74 seconds while Yanni (12.91) and Yarraji (13.04) were second and third respectively.

But the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) immediately filed a protest and within minutes, Yanni was disqualified under Technical Rule 16.8 and Yarraji’s bronze was upgraded to silver.

Before the controversy struck, Toor made a remarkable comeback after opening with two foul throws and trailing at third at the end of the third round. He jumped to second with his 20.06m fourth round throw but had a foul throw next to be on the verge of losing the gold to Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Daouda Tolo.

But, the Asian record holder Toor saved the best for the last as hurled the iron ball to 20.36m to nail the gold.

Toor thus became the fourth Indian shot putter to defend Asian Games gold after Parduman Singh Brar (1954 and 1958), Joginder Singh (1966 and 1970) and Bahadur Singh Chouhan (1978 and 1982).

Sable, the 29-year-old national record holder, earned India its first gold medal in athletics, completing the race in 8 minutes 19.50 seconds.

Sable rewrote the previous Asian Games record of 8:22.79 held in the name of Iran’s Hossein Keyhani set at the 2018 Jakarta Games. His timing was, however, well below his national record time of 8:11.20 and season’s best of 8:11.63.

In the 1500m for women, flamboyant Harmilan Bains won a silver with a time of 4 minute 12.74 seconds while Ajay Kumar Saroj (3:38.94) and Jinson Johnson (3:39.74) won silver and bronze respectively in the men’s 1500m.

Harmilan joined her mother Madhuri Singh — the 2002 edition 800m silver winner — as Asian Games medallist.

Veteran discus thrower Seema Punia won a bronze for her third medal in as many editions of the Asian Games with a throw of 58.62m.

“This is my last Asian Games and I am ending with a medal. I think I will be looking ahead to be able to qualify for the Paris Olympics maybe through ranking,” she said.

In men’s long jump, Murali Sreeshankar picked up a silver with a jump of 8.19m, behind Wang Jianan (8.22m) of China, who had won a silver medal in the Budapest World Championships in August.

In the women’s heptathlon, Nandini Agasara took the bronze ahead of 2018 gold medallist Swapna Barman after winning the 800m race, the last of the gruelling seven-event competition.

Nandini collected an aggregate of 5712 points while Barman, who finished third in 800m, secured 5708. China’s Zheng Ninali won the gold with an aggregate of 6149 points while Voronina Ekaterina of Uzbekistan was second with 6056.

Earlier, India’s Amlan Borgohain finished at the third position after clocking 21.08 seconds in the men’s 200m heats and advanced to the semifinal.

Badminton: India men go down fighting against China, collect silver

Injured HS Prannoy’s absence hurt India as they went down fighting 2-3 against badminton powerhouse China to sign off with their first-ever silver medal in the men’s team championships.

After world No. 7 Prannoy was ruled out due to a back injury, Lakshya Sen produced a gutsy show in the first singles and doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty then bossed over their opponents to put India 2-0 ahead.

So, it was once again left to Kidambi Srikanth to carry the team on his shoulders.

The former world No. 1, who had produced a gritty show against South Korea in the semifinals, couldn’t go the distance this time despite a healthy lead and multiple game points as China fought back to make it 1-2.

INDIA’S BEST-EVER FINISH IN TEAM EVENTS OF ASIAN GAMES