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India fielded its largest contingent in athletics than any other sport in this Asian Games. A total of 68 athletes were part of the Indian contingent to participate in the track and field events and they repaid the faith by bringing home 29 medals, the highest of any sport.
The athletes won six golds, only second to the seven golds in shooting, and contributed the most as India came home with their biggest-ever haul of 107 medals. Here are three positives from the track and events for India after these Asian Games:
#3 Javelin Dominance
Neeraj Chopra has become the poster boy for Indian sports. The now world champion was expected to defend his Asian Games gold in Javelin and he did that beautifully. But it was the historic rise of Kishore Jena, the silver medallist, which excited fans and experts alike. The Odisha-born thrower improved his personal best twice in the event on his way to winning silver. His throw of 87.54m meant that Jena improved his personal best by a whopping 9.5m. With his throw, he met the qualifying standard for the Paris Olympics 2024 alongside Neeraj.
Heading into the Olympic year India has become a javelin-dominant country with two throwers already qualified. Rohit Yadav and DP Manu are also close to the qualifying standard of 85.50m. If a third Indian athlete qualifies, India will be a force to reckon with and will be in the run for multiple medals in Javelin.
#2 Steeplechase Veterans
Parul Chaudhary and Avinash Sable have become household names after the recently concluded Asian Games. Parul ran an unbelievable final, straight to win gold in the Women’s 5000m and Avinash won the steeplechase crown as if it was a walk in the park. Both the runners specialize in the steeplechase and this is the event where they are medal contenders at the Paris Olympics. Both the runners went back home with a gold in their kitty and would now be eager to bring home an Olympic medal.
#1 Rise in Long Jump
According to the World Athletics website, the Men's Top List 2023 has two Indian athletes in the top 5. Jesswin Aldrin’s 8.42m and Murali Sreeshankar’s 8.41m were only bettered by two other athletes this year. Aldrin was far from his best at these Asian Games, managing only a 7.76 mark but Sreeshankar landed a massive 8.19m mark to bring home silver.
The duo's personal bests would have gotten them on the podium at Tokyo 2020 and they are certainly medal contenders for Paris 2024. The more experience they get at these multi-sport events, the more will the duo learn to handle the pressure and be able to land their best jumps at the top events. The pair’s Asian Games performance may not turn heads but it will act as a stepping stone as they progress towards becoming world beaters.
