Asian U20 Athletics: Nitin Gupta clinches gold in 5000m race walk; Sadhna wins triple jump silver
Hong Kong, May 29
India added two medals on Day 2 of the U20 Asian Athletics Championships as Nitin Gupta clinched a gold medal in men's 5000m race walk while Sadhna Ravi bagged a silver in the women's triple jump event here on Friday.
Nitin clocked 19:47.49 to finish on top of the podium, while Sheng-qin Lo of Taipei (19:56.17) and Japan's Chihiro Obata (20:06.73) finished second and third, respectively.
This is India's first gold at this edition of the competition. "Nitin Gupta walks his way into history with a sensational GOLD in the Men's 5000m Race Walk!" The Athletics Federation of India posted on X.
This was amazing redemption for Nitin as the 18-year-old appeared to script a breakthrough performance in the men's 10km race walk, defeating India's 40-year-old national record holder and double Olympian Sandeep Kumar in a gripping contest in the National Senior Athletics Federation competition at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium on Saturday.
But a protest was lodged against Nitin by Sandeep's camp, and the complaint was accepted for review by the jury. Thus, Nitin was disqualified for violating rules and was disqualified for violating Rule 6.2 (giving or receiving assistance from other athletes) lodged against Nitin by Sandeep's camp, and the complaint was accepted for review by the jury.
In the women's triple jump event, Sadhna bagged a silver with a best effort of 12.84 +0.5. Chinese jumper Yiqing Xie (13.36 +1.3 ) clinched the gold while Mariya Chshipacheva of Kazakhstan took the bronze with a personal best jump of 12.70.
On Day 1, national record holder Nipam storms onto the podium with a blazing 11.62s to bring home bronze in the Women's 100m.
India has a bright chance of winning a medal in the decathlon. Rahul Jakhar was impressive on day one of the gruelling ten-event competition spread over two days. In the 100m, Jakhar clocked 10.70 seconds to earn 929 points. In the long jump he collected 760 points with a leap of 6.77m.
In the shot put his best throw of 13.04m got him 670 points. In the high jump (1.93m) he added 740 points to his tally. In the last event of the day--- 400m he clocked 50,25 seconds to earn 803 points.
At the previous edition of the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Dubai in 2024, India finished third in the standings with 29 medals, including seven golds.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Happy to see our youngsters shine! But honestly, that disqualification controversy in the senior nationals was messy. Glad Nitin didn't let it break his spirit. The Athletics Federation needs to ensure cleaner judging to avoid such disputes.
Great to see Indian athletics rising at the junior level. Nitin's time of 19:47 is solid for U20. And Rahul Jakhar in decathlon is looking strong at 3902 points after day one. Hopefully he brings home another medal! 🇮🇳
Finally some good news in athletics! Nitin's gold is especially sweet after that controversial DQ. Sadhna's 12.84m is decent but she needs to improve to compete with the Chinese jumper. Our women's field events are coming along nicely though. Keep it up, girls! 💪
Impressive depth in Indian athletics. From Nipam's bronze in 100m to Nitin's gold in race walk to Sadhna's silver in triple jump—multiple events showing promise. Last year we got 29 medals at U20 Asian level. This year looks promising too!
Nitin is only 18 and already beating seasoned athletes like Sandeep Kumar (before the DQ). That shows immense talent. But why do we always have such controversies in Indian sports? We need better governance in athletics. Anyway, congratulations to all medal winners! 🎉
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