AFI Media
29 August 2018
Jakarta (Indonesia). Swapna Barman won the first-ever Asian Games gold for India in the women’s heptathlon event in Jakarta on Wednesday. The 21-year old wrapped up the title by finishing the 800 metres race in a time of 2:21.13. Barman finished with 6026 points, an overall best for her, beating the 5942 points at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in 2017 last year.
In the morning, Barman had topped the Javelin Throw event by throwing 50.63 metres, adding third personal best to her collection and put some distance between herself and her rivals. Purnima Hembram, the other Indian in the event came fourth overall with 5837 points.
Earlier, Arpinder Singh won the men’s Triple Jump competition with an attempt of 16.77 metres. Arpinder, who had finished fifth in Incheon in 2014, set the mark on his 3rd attempt, to take the title. He also became the first man in 48 years since Mohinder Singh Gill (1970) to win the Triple Jump title at the Asian Games.
Arpinder, the Federation Cup champion, had also made the 3rd highest jump of the competition with his second attempt of 16.58 metres. Rakesh Babu, also competing in the final jumped 16.40 metres to finish sixth in the final.
Dutee Chand became only the 4th Indian to win a medal in the 100 and 200 metres, as she followed up her silver in the 100 with another in the 200. Chand, courtesy of her second silver, became the first Indian since PT Usha in 1986 to win a medal in both the 100 and 200.
The 800 metres gold medallist, Manjit Singh stayed on course for a middle distance double as he topped his heat in the 1500 metres. The silver medallist in the half-mile, Jinson Johnson, also qualified for the final as he was second in the other heat.
The Indian men’s 4×400 relay team also qualified for the final as the quartet of Kunhu Mohammed, Jeevan KS, Jithu Baby and Dharun Ayyasamy finished second in their heat with a time of 3:06.48, finishing behind Japan.
India also lost their appeal against an infringement by Bahrain in the 4×400 metres mixed relay. As a result, they did not upgrade on their silver medal.
