Asian Athletics Championships | Gomathi Marimuthu, Tajinder Pal Toor clinch gold medals for India on Day 2

India opened its gold medal tally on the second day of the Asian Athletics Championships in the women’s 800m race in which Gomathi Marimuthu clocked her personal best timing of 2:02.70 seconds in the final in Doha. She edged past China’s Wang Chunyu who clocked 2:02.96 while Kazakhstan’s Margarita Mukasheva won the bronze medal at the event. 

“Did not realise till I crossed the finish line that I have won a gold medal. Last 150m was a very tight race,” Gomathi told Athletics Federation of India after she won the medal.

Tajinder Pal, who had won a gold at the Asian Games in shot put, continued at the Asian Championships from where he had left. With his season’s best throw of 20.22 metres, the Indian bagged the second gold medal of the Championships for his country. His first attempt in the final was enough to keep him at the top of the table.

“Started well but lost rhythm in between. A throw beyond 21 metres is the target. Will be happy if that comes at Worlds,” Tajinder was quoted as saying by AFI after his medal winning performance.

Shivpal Singh and Annu Rani won silver medals in the men’s and women’s javelin throw event on the second day with throws of 86.23 metres and 60.22m respectively in the finals.

Earlier on Day 2, Jabir MP managed to finish third in the men’s 400m hurdles with his personal best timing of 49.13 secs. Jabir has also made it to the World Championships with his efforts in Doha. Saritaben Gayakwad has won the other bronze medal at the event yesterday in women’s 400m hurdles by clocking 57.22 seconds.

However, after breaking her own national record twice in the heats and semi-finals of 100m race, Dutee Chand finished fifth in the final with a poor timing of 11.44 secs and missed out on a medal on Day 2. India’s Arokia Rajiv and Mohammed Anas also failed to win medals at the event in the men’s 400m race with timings of 45.37 and 46.10 seconds respectively. In the men’s 800m final, India’s Jinson Johnson had to pull out towards the end because of an injury and Mohammad Afsal finished seventh in the same event.