GUMI, South Korea, June 1 – Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav delivered a standout personal best to clinch silver, while Animesh Kujur and Vithya Ramraj added bronze medals in the 26th Asian Athletics Championships, as the event concluded in Gumi on Saturday.
Yadav, 25, threw the javelin 85.16 metres, surpassing his previous best of 84.39m, to finish behind Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who claimed gold with 86.40m. Yadav, who hails from a farmer’s family in Khekra village, Uttar Pradesh, delivered the highlight of India’s performance on the final day.
India’s Yashvir Singh also registered a personal best of 82.57m, finishing fifth in the same event.
In the men’s 200 metres, 21-year-old Animesh Kujur opened India’s medal account for the day by clocking a national record 20.32 seconds, earning him the bronze medal. Japan’s Towa Uzawa won gold in 20.12s, while Abdulaziz Abdu I Atafi of Saudi Arabia took silver in 20.31s.
Later, Vithya Ramraj, a bronze medallist at the Asian Games, secured another third-place finish for India in the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 56.46 seconds. China’s Mo Jiadie took gold in 55.31s, narrowly edging out Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Adekoya (55.32s). Fellow Indian Anu Raghavan finished seventh in 57.46s.
India’s Jyoti Yarraji, who previously won gold in the 100m hurdles, finished fifth in the women’s 200m final, posting a time of 23.47s. Teammate Nithya Gandhe placed seventh in 23.90s. India finished the competition with a strong showing across track and field events, including multiple national records and personal bests, highlighting its growing depth in athletics on the continental stage.
