OKTOBERFEAST

HANGZHOU: The Indian contingent on Wednesday registered its best-ever medal haul at the Asian Games.

India’s previous-best medal haul had come at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, when the country’s athletes returned with 70 medals, including 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze. Indian race walkers Manju Rani and Ram Baboo fetched a bronze medal in the 35km mixed race walk event early on Wednesday to help India match the 2018 Jakarta Games’ performance.

Compound archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha then grabbed India’s 71st medal when they won the mixed team gold medal.

Neeraj Chopra is the undisputed king of Indian javelin since he made his mark in 2016 by becoming the first Indian competitor to win a junior world title in athletics. Since then, he has won the Asian Games gold in 2018, 2023, the Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, the Olympic gold medal in 2021, the World Championship silver medal in 2022, and the World Championship gold medal in 2023 in Budapest. He has been untouchable as none of the Indians had come closer to the distances he has managed.

When Kishore Kumar Jena threw the spear to 87.54m during the Asian Games final on Wednesday, he relegated Neeraj to second position with 84.49m. The moment was just like Gukesh overtaking Viswanathan Anand to become the highest-rated Indian player in chess.

But this moment did not last for long and Neeraj hurled the spear to 88.88m in his fourth turn and grabbed the lead back. “I was always sure big brother would overtake me, He will come up with a big one,” said Kishore Kumar Jena during a press conference at the end of the day. “It is not like that,” said Chopra, who was sitting nearby. “Sometimes, that does not happen. We went all out and tried our best in Eugene (2023 Diamond League Final) a few days back and could manage only 83+ throws. So, anything can happen,” said Chopra. Asked what he thought when Jena had taken the first position, Chopra said it was nice to see a compatriot pushing him during a competition. He congratulated Jena on improving his personal best twice and also for qualifying for next year’s Paris Olympic Games.

Men’s quartet won gold medal in the 4x400m relay final on Wednesday. The team comprising of Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Rajesh Ramesh and Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi finished with a time of 3:01.58.

Harmilan Bains made her mother, Madhuri Singh, proud by clinching silver in the women’s 800m, exactly two decades after her mother won silver in the 800m at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.