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Annu Rani etched her name in Indian sports history after she won the gold in the women’s javelin throw event on the 10th day of the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.
The 31-year-old hurled the javelin as far as 62.92m to become the first Indian woman to win a gold in javelin throw at the Asiad. Gurmeet Kaur won bronze in the 1998 Asian Games which was javelin throw’s maiden appearance in the continental showpiece. 16 years later, Annu herself ended India’s barren run in the event as she bagged the bronze in Incheon in the 2014 Asian Games.
Annu Rani started the competition with a poor throw of 56.99 and was placed in sixth position. The veteran athlete didn’t have the best show in 2023, where she couldn’t even cross the 60m mark. Dismantling the jittery mood around, Annu upped the ante to move to the second position with a 61.28m throw.
Sri Lanka’s Nadeesha Dilhan was leading the charts after round three and she only bettered her performance with a 61.57m to maintain her position. However, Annu wasn’t contented with a second-place finish, unleashing her season-best throw to pip Nadeesha at the top. Though the Indian athlete committed a foul in her final attempt, her Sri Lankan counterpart mustered 60.74 to settle for silver.
Many people on Twitter, including legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and former Indian hockey player Viren Rasquniha, congratulated Annu Rani for her tremendous success in the Asian Games.
When is Neeraj Chopra's Javelin throw event?
India's prominent track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra has already reached China for his men's javelin throw in the Asian Games. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 4, starting at 4:35 pm IST.
Neeraj won't have the challenge from his arch-rival Arshad Nadeem in the final following reports that the Pakistan javelin thrower has been ruled out due to a knee injury.
