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Chopra wins javelin gold as India hail most successful Asian Games

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The 25-year-old threw 88.88m, more than 0.70m further than his world title-winning throw in Budapest.

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India’s Neeraj Chopra celebrates on the podium with compatriot Kishore Jana (left) and Japan’s Genki Dean after winning the men’s javelin throw event. (AFP pic)

HANGZHOU:
Indian trailblazer Neeraj Chopra added an Asian Games gold medal to his Olympic and world titles in the javelin throw event today as his nation celebrated its biggest medal haul at the continental showpiece in Hangzhou.

India’s first Olympic athletics champion threw 88.88m, more than 0.70m further than in Budapest where the 25-year-old claimed the country’s first title in track and field.

He was challenged by silver-medal-winning teammate Kishore Jena, who threw a personal best of 87.54m to draw out Chopra’s winning effort at the Hangzhou Olympic stadium.

There was less suspense in the high jump, though, where Qatari great Mutaz Barshim clinched his third Asian Games gold medal, 13 years after his first in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The triple world champion, who owns the second-highest jump of all-time (2.43m), cleared 2.35m before missing all three attempts at 2.37m.

South Korea’s Woo Sang-hyeok was the runner-up with a jump of 2.33m.

India surged past their previous record of 70 Asian Games medals from Jakarta five years ago. Archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam secured the 71st by winning the mixed team compound event.

“We are celebrating our best-ever medal tally, a testament to the unparalleled dedication, grit and sporting spirit of our athletes,” India’s prime minister Narendra Modi wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The rising Asian power has work to do to catch China, though, with the hosts having sailed past 300 medals and winning more than 170 gold medals.

China’s Li Qian, runner-up in the women’s middleweight boxing event at the Tokyo Olympics, beat India’s world champion Lovlina Borgohain to claim the 66-75kg division title.

Li turned the tables on Borgohain who beat the Chinese boxer in the semifinals on the way to the middleweight world championship in March.

The Games were hit by a second doping case, with Saudi Arabian distance runner Yousef Mohammed Alasiri, who tested positive for darbepoetin, provisionally banned.

Darbepoetin is a re-engineered form of erythropoietin, also known as EPO, a common blood-booster.

Alasiri, 34, was entered in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events but did not start either.

China completed a sweep of the race walking events, picking up gold in the mixed team 35km earlier today, with Japan taking silver ahead of India.

Chinese walkers dominated the men’s and women’s individual events, taking gold and silver in each.

Myanmar claimed their first gold of the Games, beating Indonesia for the men’s quadrant title in sepak takraw, the traditional kick volleyball sport popular in Southeast Asia.

Four-time Asian Cup champions Japan ended Hong Kong’s dream run to the semifinals and will play either South Korea or Uzbekistan for the gold.

Test-playing nation Bangladesh had a huge scare in the cricket in the quarterfinals against Malaysia but a death bowling masterclass by all-rounder Afif Hossain secured a two-run win in the T20 match.

Malaysia needed five runs from the last over but Hossain, who took three wickets, conceded only two, ensuring Bangladesh will meet Games debutants India in the semifinals.

Afghanistan, who knocked Sri Lanka out with an eight-run win, will meet Pakistan in the other semifinal.

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