Asian Games 2018: Arpinder's gold ends 48-yr-long wait in men's triple jump

Before the 25-year-old Arpinder, the previous champion was Mohinder Singh Gill in 1970 with an effort of 16.11m.

Arpinder Singh on Wednesday ended India's 48-year wait for a gold medal in the men's triple jump event at the Asian Games as he returned with his best effort of 16.77 metres in the final.

Arpinder pipped Uzbekistan's Ruslan Kurbanov, who took the silver medal with a personal best jump of 16.62 metres. The bronze medal went to Chinese Cao Shuo, who jumped 16.56 metres.

Before the 25-year-old Arpinder, the previous champion was Mohinder Singh Gill in 1970 with an effort of 16.11m.

Another Indian in the fray, A V Rakesh Babu was sixth with a best attempt of 16.40 metres.

On Wednesday, Arpinder flopped in his first attempt. After the invalid jump, he came back strong with a jump of 16.58 metres in the second attempt which made him the leader after the first two attempts.

ALSO READ: Asian Games 2018 LIVE Updates, Day 12: More gold for India in athletics?

Babu, in his second attempt of 16.40, was second behind his compatriot, even as Ruslan till then had his best of 16.28.

Arpinder gained further ascendancy when he came out with a jump of 16.77m. Ruslan too made his best attempt of 16.62 metres. The Uzbek athlete, however, could not topple Arpinder as the former made attempts of 15.99, 16.43, 16.41 in his final three chances respectively.

Arpinder jumped 16.08 in his fourth attempt before fouling the last two attempts.

China's Cao delivered his best in his sixth and last attempt with a jump of 16.56 to push Japanese Kohei Yamashita to the fourth spot.

Yamashita had fouled his last three attempts. His best of 16.46 came in his third attempt.

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Asian Games 2018: I ran with closed eyes, says Dutee Chand after silver win

Dutee Chand was dropped from India's Commonwealth Games contingent in 2014 after being rendered ineligible to compete as a female athlete due to hyperandrogenism policy of IAAF.

Unable to stop smiling after crying for years, Dutee Chand was sprinting with her "eyes closed" until she had ushered in a new dawn, healing an old wound on the way.

Dropped from India's Commonwealth Games contingent in 2014 after being rendered ineligible to compete as a female athlete due to hyperandrogenism policy of the world athletics body (IAAF), the last four years of her life have not been easy for the 22-year-old Odisha athlete.

Allowed to race again after being cleared by the Court of Arbitration (CAS), Dutee on Sunday achieved the biggest success of her career.

"2014 was very a bad year for me. People said many things abut me. The same girl today came back and won a medal for the country, it is really big achievement for me," Dutee said after winning a silver medal in the women's 100m at the Asian Games.

The desperation to achieve something big, to make up for the opportunities lost, was palpable as she spoke about her effort.

"In the semifinals, the first 20 metres, I did not push much and coach pointed out that 'you have to make a better beginning. So in the final, I rushed the first 40 metres. I was running with eyes closed, whether medal comes or not, I wanted to better my timing.

"When I opened my eyes, the race was over. I did not know what has happened. People said you have won a medal, but I did not believe, I did not pick flag until I saw the result on display screen."

Dutee could not stop smiling after the win.

ALSO READ: Asian Games 2018: Dutee Chand gets praise, cash award for her silver win

"It is my biggest medal, I am already 22 and I had never participated at Asian Games before because of hyperandrogenism. It was Olympic for me, I trained for six hours in a session for this."

Dutee had become only the third Indian to qualify for the women 100m event at the Rio Olympics. She had timed 11.69 but did not make it to the final.

The Athletic Federation of India and IAAF' faced flak for violating Dutee's privacy and human rights. She appealed to the CAS and in July 2015, it issued a decision to suspend the hyperandrogenism regulation for female track and field sports for two years.

It found that there was insufficient evidence to indicate that there is any link between enhanced androgen levels and improved athletic performance.

The court gave two more years to IAAF to present convincing evidence and if it is not provided within the deadline, the regulation will be automatically revoked.

Dutee's silver came in 11.32 seconds, the same timing with which she had won gold at the National Games. However, it was slower than her own national record (11.29).

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Asian Games 2018: I was nervous before my race, says Hima Das

Hima broke the national record twice in two-days in 400 m event.

She has beaten the national record twice in two days but India's newest sprint queen Hima Das said she was nervous ahead of Asian Games 400m final where she won a silver medal on Sunday.

Hima clocked 50.59 seconds to win the silver, behind pre-race favourite Bahrain's Salwa Naser who won the gold in a new Games record time of 50.09 seconds.

Hima, the reigning Under-20 world champion, had qualified for the final with a national record time of 51.00 seconds Saturday, bettering the 14-year-old mark set by Manjeet Kaur (51.05) in Chennai in 2004, and she on Sunday bettered it again.

"You surely get nervous. They don't see but only I know how nervous I get," said the 18-year-old sprinter from a village near Dhing in Assam.

Naser, the Nigerian-born 2017 World Championships silver medallist and winner of four legs of Diamond League Series this year, did not have to exert much in the end to clinch the goal.

"She (Naser) is a big athlete, I am happy to compete with her and I learnt in both the races. I grabbed a bit about race technique bit it's difficult to explain," said Hima who finished behind the Bahraini in the preliminary heats also.

"She is perfect athlete, I started my career just two years. I played football and it helped in athletics. But she is World Championship medallist, I learnt a lot from her."

ALSO READ: Sprint queen Hima Das: Is she the next big thing in brand endorsements?

Hima, however, said she does not think of reputation of a competitor when she steps on to the track.

"They are all good athletes. Good athletes will be there at good competitions but I don't think about them, I just think of bettering my own time," said Hima who has developed a habit of bettering her own mark in every subsequent race.

Asked if she knows how fast she can run in future or if she is close to her best, she said, "I am not sure how fast I can run."

Asked to comment on her rapid progress in such a short time, she shot back, "What kind of question is this? We always think of bettering our mark."

Hima said her coach Galina Bukharina did not prepare any special strategy for the final.

"It was tough competition, I knew, I am happy I bettered my mark. I was not confident but knew I will better by some margin," she said.

She said she did not plan her final race on Sunday.

"When you run, you don't think whether to run first 100m in such time and next 100m in such. There is no time to think. You don't think who will be ahead or behind, you just run.

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I want to open India's Olympic gold account in wrestling: Bajrang Punia

He wants to realise his guru Yogeshwar Dutt dream of a Gold medal at Olympics.

Bajrang Punia struck gold on the very first day of the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta. He overpowered Japan's Daichi Takatani 11-8 in the final of men's Freestyle 65 kg category to open India's gold medal tally in 18th Asian Games. He wants to do something similar. At a grander stage. To be precise, in Japan's Tokyo, in year 2020; the tournament -- the Olympics. 

Punia has a personal connection with the tournament too. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, his mentor and coach Yogeshwar Dutt could manage a bronze medal. Punia wants to right the wrong. He wants to realise his guru's dream.

In a telephonic interview with Business Standard, the ace Indian wrestler talked about his victory in the Asian Games 2018 and about his next big challenge -- the Tokyo Olympics. Edited excerpts:

Q: We talked to your village head (sarpanch) Dinesh Singh. He is very happy that you won a gold for India. What is your message for your village?

Bajrang: Villagers support me whenever I participate in any event. I wish I keep getting their blessings so that I can keep performing for India and bring glory to the nation and the village.

Q: Your Whatsapp display picture (DP) is of Tokyo 2020. Any special reason behind it?

Bajrang: I put this picture of Tokyo 2020 Olympics (as my DP) a year-and-half ago. I did this to keep myself motivated and win an Olympic gold in wrestling as that figure is still stuck at zero. The way the country and the media is supporting me, I am sure I will bring Gold in Tokyo Olympics.

Q: What is Yogeshwar Dutt's role in your wrestling career?

Bajrang: Yogi bhai has played a crucial role in my wrestling career. He wants me to win an Olympic Gold as he failed to do so in Rio Olympics. Today, I am a wrestler because of Yogeshwar bhai. I want to realise his dream of winning Gold in Olympics and I am working on that.

Question: According to various media reports, Yogeshwar Dutt left wrestling because he saw a lot of potential in you.

Bajrang: He has taken a break from wrestling after Rio Olympics. He hasn't retired. Currently, he is not fit to wrestle. When he will be fit, he will try in 70-kg category. He asked me to wrestle in 65-kg category.

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Asian Games 2018: J&K Guv hails Bhanu for bronze in Wushu, Kin proud

Family members of Surya Bhanu Pratap Singh celebrated their son's feat at their residence in Jammu.

Asian Games 2018 : Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik today extended warm felicitations to son of the soil Surya Bhanu Pratap Singh for winning bronze medal in Wushu at the ongoing Asian Games in Jakarta.

Bhanu Pratap Singh, a resident of Muthi in Jammu, registered an emphatic quarterfinal victory over his Philippines rival in the men's 60-kg category on Tuesday in Indonesia. But he lost the semi-final bout against Erfan Ahangarian of Iran yesterday after suffering an injury.

"We are really proud of his performance in the prestigious sporting event," Governor said in his felicitation message.

Governor also congratulated Kuldeep Handoo, another son of the soil and coach of the Indian Wushu contingent at the Asian Games.

Family members of Surya Bhanu Pratap Singh celebrated their son's feat at their residence in Jammu.

Bhanu's parents acknowledged the effort that went into their son's achievement and said "We're happy and proud. He had struggled a lot and it's his hard work that has paid off. His coach had also put in a lot of effort."

Wushu, a Chinese Kung-fu, is different from other combat sports as it is a mix of kick-boxing and wrestling.

Meanwhile, K Vijay Kumar, Advisor to Governor, has also felicitated Bhanu for the emphatic victory.

Advisor Kumar said Bhanu Pratap Singh would be adequately rewarded by the Governor's Administration on his return from Jakarta for his splendid performance in the Asian Games.

He said the administration is laying renewed focus on promoting sports in the state and in this regard a new Sports Policy is being formulated to institutionalize the sports culture in J&K.

He said various incentives are being proposed to encourage grooming of professional sportspersons in the state.

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Asian Games 2018: 16-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary claims gold on debut

The 16-year-old Chaudhary, who topped the qualifying round, shot a Games record score of 240.7 to pip Japan's Tomoyuki Matsuda.

Debutant teenager Saurabh Chaudhary clinched India's first shooting gold of the 18th Asian Games, fetching the top honours in the men's 10m air pistol event here today.

The 16-year-old Chaudhary, who topped the qualifying round, shot a Games record score of 240.7 to pip Japan's Tomoyuki Matsuda (239.7) in an exciting final to add a gold to India's shooting tally of two silver and a bronze this Asiad.

Hobby shooter Abhishek Verma, also making his Asian Games debut at 29, settled for the bronze medal in the same event with a score of 219.3.

In second position for most of the final, Chaudhary grabbed the lead after Matsuda fired 8.9 in his penultimate shot. The Indian went ahead with a 10.2 off his second-last shot and held the nerve to stay ahead.

Also Read : Asian Games 2018 LIVE: 16-yr-old Saurabh gets India gold in 10m Rifle

With a lot of medals on the line, athletes of 45 nations, playing 58 different kinds of sports, will give their best to win one of those at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta Palembang. Indian athletes would love to prove their mettle in various events like Kabaddi, Shooting, Volleyball, Wushu, and others.

Hopes of Indian fans would be high after Bajrang Punia won the first gold medal for India at Asian Games 2018. In Badminton, the women's team will take on Japan in team qualifier event.

Men's hockey team play against Indonesia. In shooting, India will present their challenge in various categories and the responsibility to clinch medal will be on them.

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Asian Games 2018: Virdhawal Khade qualifies men's 50m freestyle swimming final

Overall, Khade was third behind China's Hexin Yu (22.21) and Hong Kong's Kenneth King Him To (22.38).

India's Virdhawal Khade marginally bettered his long-standing national record to get closer to his second Asian Games medal as he qualified for the men's 50m freestyle final by clocking 22.43s which was third fastest time in the heats, here today.

Khade, who won a bronze at the Guangzhou Games in 2010, faced stiff competition from Japan's Shunichi Nakao (22.62) but emerged the fastest in the eight-man heat 5.

It was new national record in 50m freestyle as he bettered his own mark of 22.52, set in August 2009 at Asian Age group swimming championships in Japan.

Overall, Khade was third behind China's Hexin Yu (22.21) and Hong Kong's Kenneth King Him To (22.38).

Anshul Kothari could not qualify for the final as he finished 28th with a timing of 23.83. He was fastest in heat 1.

"I am keeping fingers crossed but I think medal is within each. I have prepared well in the last one and a half years. It's a sprint, so you never know what happens in final but I will give myself a chance. It's possible," Khade, 26, told PTI.

"The top two may be fitter than me but mentally I am stronger than them. I have experience and I will try to use it in the final."

Khade said he was pleased with his improvement after making a comeback to the pool.

ALSO READ: Asian Games 2018 LIVE: India starts Day 3 with wins in Kabaddi, Taekwondo

"After 10 years, I am competing at such a big event. I was also at the CWG also but there, I could not perform to my potential. I had timed 23.11 there, so it is half a second fast. Hopefully, I will be able to cut down more and get a medal."

On bettering his own national mark and improving upon his timing from CWG, the 26-year-old said, "I have worked on strength and fitness since January with my coach in Bengaluru. I have improved since January in every competition. Regular competition has helped me."

The final will be held in the evening.

Khade had taken a break from swimming for four years due to job commitment. He works as a Tehsildar for the Mahatrashtra Government.

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Asian Games 2018: India thrash Maldives 3-0 in badminton team event

The Indian men's team will next face hosts Indonesia on Monday in the quarterfinals.

Àsian Games 2018 : The Indian badminton team, led by Kidambi Srikanth, made a resounding start to its campaign at the 18th Asian Games, thrashing minnows Maldives 3-0 in the opening match of the team competition here today.

World No 8. Srikanth brushed aside Maldives' Hussein Zayan Shaheed Zaki 21-4 21-5 in 18 minutes to give India a 1-0 lead.

World No. 11 H S Prannoy then took 21 minutes to outclass Mohamed Sarim 21-8 21-6 and make it 2-0 in India's favour.

B Sai Praneeth, who had clinched the 2017 Singapore Open, then ended the challenge of Mohamed Ajfan Rasheed in just 22 minutes with a 21-7 21-8 demolition as India wrapped up the contest 3-0.

The Indian men's team will next face hosts Indonesia tomorrow in the quarterfinals.

Indonesia, who received a first-round bye, boasts of good players such as Jonathan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the singles, while their doubles line-up comprise World No. 1 Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and World No. 9 Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

ALSO READ: Asian Games 2018 LIVE: India hopes to increase medal count on Day 2

The women's team, led by Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu, will play formidable Japan in the quarterfinals after receiving a bye in the opening round.

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