New Delhi: 

After the twin gold medals, the quartet of Jisna Mathew, Rupal Chaudhary, Kunja Rajitha and Subha Venkatesan clinched the gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay event after clocking their season-best time of 3:34.18 sec.

India experienced double delight on Thursday as India’s fastest woman hurdler, Jyothi Yarraji and national record-holding steeplechase runner, Avinash Sable, produced sensational performances to win gold medals in their respective track and field disciplines at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.

Sable’s season-best performance made him the first Indian man in 36 years to win a gold medal in steeplechase at the Asian Championships.

Shortly after Sable’s incredible display, Jyothi scripted history by claiming her second successive gold medal at Asian Athletics with a new championship record of 12.96 seconds, breaking the previous record of 13.04 seconds, set by Kazakhstan’s Olga Shishigina in 1998 and Sun Yawei of China in 2011.

Sable, Yarraji and mixed relay team add three golds to strengthen India’s position

Jyothi’s previous gold-medal-winning performance in the 2023 edition came with an effort of 13.09. Her personal best timing, however, is a way better 12.78 seconds – also a national record.

Jyothi joined an elite list of five athletes to defend gold in the Asian Championships 100m hurdles after Emi Akimoto of Japan (1979, 1981, 1983), Zhang Yu of China (1991, 1993), Su Yinping of China (2003, 2005) and Sun Yawei of China (2009, 2011).

India have bagged 10 medals at the ongoing edition, including four gold, four silver and two bronze so far.

Earlier in the day, India’s 4x400m men’s relay team stormed into the final with a best-ever effort to top the heat.

Sable clocked 8:20.92 sec to claim the top podium spot to bag his second Asian medal. He bettered his silver-winning performance in the 2019 edition. The time, though, was far behind his national record of 8:09.91 sec achieved in 2024.

India’s last gold in this event came way back in 1989 when Dina Ram finished on top. Harbel Singh was the first Indian to win a men’s steeplechase gold in 1975.

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