Asian Games 2018 | Manjit Singh wins India’s first 800m gold since 1982
Indian sprinter Manjit Singh has bagged an 800m gold in the ongoing Asian Games in Indonesia and has become the first Indian athlete, after Charles Borromeo, to do so in the Asiad in 36 years. On the other hand, Jinson Johnson has taken the silver medal making it a 1-2 finish for India.
Manjit had qualified for the final as the eighth fastest athlete. He had finished the semi-final with a time of 1:48.64 and if anything, India’s hopes were shouldered by Jinson Johnson, who had won his semi-final heat.
The race started in much the same way as Jinson sat on the shoulders of the leaders for much of the first lap. Qatar’s Abdalla and Abraham Rotich, the pre-race
As the runners entered the second lap, Abdalla and Rotich raised the pace and tried to break away from the group. On the other hand, Manjit and
But Manjit was still one of the runners. As the runners neared the last 100m, a sprint for the finish line broke out. However, Manjit somehow raised his game and brought his unused stamina into the picture.
Manjit ran as hard as he could and in the end went past Abdalla to win a most unexpected gold, with a timing of 1:46.15 while
