India’s Asian Games athletics campaign kicked off on a positive note today as Muhammed Anas and Rajiv Arokia qualified for the men’s 400m semi-finals. Anas topped heat 1 while Rajiv finished second in heat 4. High-jumper Chethan Subramanya also qualified for the men’s high-jump final. He finished fifth in Group B. In Badminton, Saina Nehwal reached women’s singles quarter-final, beating Indonesia’s Fitriani Fitriani 21-6, 21-14.
The second women’s singles Round of 16 match between PV Sindhu and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia is underway with Sindhu winning the first set and leading in the second. However, in Men’s Doubles , India lost to South Korea. In handball, India women’s team beat Korea 54-19 in 9th and 10th classification match. In Volleyball Pool F match, India beat Maldives in straight sets 25-12, 25-21, 25-17.
However, it was not a good day for the shooters as Anish Bhanwala and Shivam Shukla failed to qualify for the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol final as they finished 9th and 11th respectively. In Archery, India’s Recurve campaign ended today as both men and women’s teams lost their quarter-final matches. In Sepak Takraw also, India lost to South Korea in Men’s Regu Preliminary group B match. Vikas Thakur failed to grab a medal for India in Weightlifting and finished with a total lift of 335 kgs.
There are plenty of events featuring Indian athletes today with potential of bringing more medals. India is assured of three medals in Squash as Saurav Ghoshal, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa play their semi-final matches. Dutee Chand will be seen in action in women’s 100 m event. Hima Das and Nirmala Sheoran will be aiming for top podium finish in 400 metre race. In women’s hockey, India will take on South Korea this evening.
India is currently placed 9th in the tally with 25 medals comprising 6 gold, 5 silver and 14 bronze. China continues to top the tally with 143 medals followed by Japan with a tally of 107 medals.
