The Indian contingent started on a promising note on Sunday, earning the country its first medal of the 2023 Asian Games with silver medals in the 10m Air Rifle Team event and men’s doubles rowing. The Indian team, looking to cross the 100-medal mark this time in Hangzhou, wasted little time in opening the medal table. However, there will be some disappointment in the hearts of the athletes considering that they could not get the elusive gold medals in their respective events.
In shooting, the trio of Ramita, Mehuli Ghosh and Ashi Chouksey took silver in the women’s 10 meter air rifle team at the end of the qualifying round with a total score of 1886. The gold medal went to host country China, with a score of 1896.6, while Mongolia won bronze in 1880.
Ramita (631.9) – 2nd, Mehuli – (630.8) – 5th, qualify for the individual final. China’s Han Jiayu sets a new Asian qualifying record with a score of 634.1, 0.1 better than the previous mark set by her compatriot Zhao Ruozhu in New Delhi in 2019.
In rowing, the duo of Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh won silver in the lightweight men’s double sculls with a time of 6:28.18s. Also in this event, the gold medal went to China, with a timing of 6:23.16s, while the bronze went to Uzbekistan, with a timing of 6:33.42s.
The Indians, who finished 11th at the Tokyo Olympics, went on to upset the odds and seal their place on the podium.
Chinese duo Fan Junjie and Sun Man secured first place by clocking a time of 6:23.16s. With this, China has already secured a second gold at the Asian Games. Uzbekistan settled for a bronze medal by clocking a time of 6:33.42s.
Throughout the match, the Indian pair gave the hosts a run for their money, breathing down their necks the entire time.
With 500 meters to go, China managed to open a bigger gap by building a lead of 2.73 seconds. Uzbekistan maintained its position in third place.
With input from the Agency
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