A memorable debut for sprinter Nipam, wins 100m bronze in Hong Kong
New Delhi, May 28
It was a memorable debut for sprinter Nipam as she won the 100m bronze on the opening day of the U20 Asian Athletics Championships, which got underway in Hong Kong on Thursday.
The 18-year-old national record holder in the U20 women's 100m was slow off the blocks but regained lost ground as she shifted gears to post a time of 11.62 seconds to win the bronze medal.
The sprinter from Uttar Pradesh has a personal best (also national U20 record) of 11.53 seconds, clocked during a domestic meet in April, as per a release.
"I'm excited to have won a bronze medal for the team," jubilant Nipam said.
Nipam is also a member of the national 4x100m relay team and was confident of winning another medal in the four-day continental meet.
Qatar's 16-year-old Dana Noor Salem had a good start and eventually won the gold medal with a time of 11.47 seconds. China's Xinxuan Chen, 16, took home the silver with a time of 11.54 seconds.
India's Vikas Kumar missed out on a medal as he finished fourth in the men's 3,000m race. He clocked 8:24.88, a personal best. In the women's 400m heats, India's Neeru Pathak was a comfortable winner in her heat with a time of 54.42 seconds. Tahura Khatun finished second in her heat with a time of 55.06 seconds. Both athletes have qualified for the final.
However, it wasn't Mohammed Ashfaq's day. The athlete from Kerala finished fifth in the men's 400m semis with a time of 47.06 seconds and did not progress to the final.
In the men's hammer throw, India's Ashuvendra Pratap Singh (64.34m) and Aman (63.40m) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
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, Rahul 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.
The four-day 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships will conclude on May 31.
— ANI
Reader Comments
So proud of Nipam! Coming from Uttar Pradesh and making it on the international stage is truly inspiring. Also, good to see Vikas Kumar run a personal best in 3000m even though he missed a medal. These young athletes are giving us hope for the future. Need more support for grassroots athletics in India!
Bronze in debut is quite decent, but I wish she had started better. Recovering from a slow start to still win a medal shows her fighting spirit though. And look at Rahul Jakhar in decathlon - those are impressive Day One scores! Fingers crossed for more medals in the coming days. 🤞
Good to see Indian athletes performing well at the U20 level. Nipam's bronze, Neeru and Tahura qualifying for the 400m final - this is promising. But we also need to honestly look at why our men's hammer throwers finished 7th and 8th. More technical coaching and facilities required, especially for field events. Still, congratulations to all the athletes! 🎉
Impressive performance by Nipam! 11.62 seconds is a solid time for a first international appearance. The competition was tough with Qatar and China taking gold and silver. Excited to see how she progresses in the 4x100m relay and hopefully the Olympics in a few years. Well done, India! 🇮🇳
Nipam ne kamaal kar diya! 🙌 Bronze medal in her first international championship is no joke. And to think she's just 18 - imagine what she'll achieve in
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