NEW DELHI: Indian long-distance runners Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh secured impressive finishes in the men’s 10000m race at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday,
Kartik earned the silver medal, completing the race in 28 minutes and 15.38 seconds while Gulveer Singh claimed the bronze with a time of 28 minutes and 17.21 seconds.
Their remarkable achievements came in the final stretch of the race when three of their fellow competitors fell, opening up an opportunity for Kartik and Gulveer to sneak into medal contention.
Bahrain’s Birhanu Yemataw Balew clinched the gold medal, crossing the finish line in 28 minutes and 13.62 seconds.
Kartik’s earlier personal best time was 28:55.00s which he had clocked while winning a bronze in the National Games last year. He had won gold in the National Inter-State Championships in June with a time of 29:01.84s.
“I knew that I would win a medal but I had come with the target of breaking the national record by clocking 27:50s. But I could not. I was slow in between, the race was also slow from the beginning,” said Kartik, who hails from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The national record stands at 28:02.89s in the name of Surendra Singh since 2008.
In the 400m race final, Aishwarya Mishra finished fourth with a time of 53.50s in the women’s event while Muhammed Ajmal clocked 45.97s to end at fifth spot in the men’s competition.
In the 1500m, Jinson Johnson and Ajay Kumar Saroj qualified for the final by clocking 3:56.93s and 3:51.93 seconds in their respective heats.
While Saroj finished second in his heat, Johnson was fifth.
Jeswin Aldrin Johnson and Murali Sreeshankar leaped 7.67m and 7.97m to qualify for the final of the men’s long jump event.
In women’s 100m hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji clocked 13.03s to finish second in her heat and qualify for the final.
But it was heartbreak for the other Indian in the fray, Nithya Ramraj who finished fifth in her heat with a timing of 13.30s and failed to qualify for the final.
(With inputs from PTI)
Kartik earned the silver medal, completing the race in 28 minutes and 15.38 seconds while Gulveer Singh claimed the bronze with a time of 28 minutes and 17.21 seconds.
Their remarkable achievements came in the final stretch of the race when three of their fellow competitors fell, opening up an opportunity for Kartik and Gulveer to sneak into medal contention.
Bahrain’s Birhanu Yemataw Balew clinched the gold medal, crossing the finish line in 28 minutes and 13.62 seconds.
Kartik’s earlier personal best time was 28:55.00s which he had clocked while winning a bronze in the National Games last year. He had won gold in the National Inter-State Championships in June with a time of 29:01.84s.
“I knew that I would win a medal but I had come with the target of breaking the national record by clocking 27:50s. But I could not. I was slow in between, the race was also slow from the beginning,” said Kartik, who hails from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The national record stands at 28:02.89s in the name of Surendra Singh since 2008.
In the 400m race final, Aishwarya Mishra finished fourth with a time of 53.50s in the women’s event while Muhammed Ajmal clocked 45.97s to end at fifth spot in the men’s competition.
In the 1500m, Jinson Johnson and Ajay Kumar Saroj qualified for the final by clocking 3:56.93s and 3:51.93 seconds in their respective heats.
While Saroj finished second in his heat, Johnson was fifth.
Jeswin Aldrin Johnson and Murali Sreeshankar leaped 7.67m and 7.97m to qualify for the final of the men’s long jump event.
In women’s 100m hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji clocked 13.03s to finish second in her heat and qualify for the final.
But it was heartbreak for the other Indian in the fray, Nithya Ramraj who finished fifth in her heat with a timing of 13.30s and failed to qualify for the final.
(With inputs from PTI)
