Nagoya, Oct 2:
India’s campaign at the Asian Games produced a mixture of medals and missed opportunities on Thursday, with several athletes bowing out of medal contention across wrestling, judo, shooting, rugby, volleyball, archery, cycling, canoeing and sport climbing.
Wrestler Mansi Ahlawat missed out on a bronze medal in the women’s 62kg category after losing 5-2 to Mongolia’s Altjin Togtokh. Mansi had reached the medal bout after progressing through the early rounds, but could not overcome the Mongolian challenge despite fighting back in the second period.
Judo also brought disappointment. Inunganbi Takhellambam lost her women’s 70kg bronze-medal contest, while Yamini Mourya’s campaign ended in the repechage, leaving India without the expected return from those events.
Cyclists Harshita Jakhar and Swasti Singh were unable to complete the women’s Madison final, ending their hopes of a podium finish. Keerthi Rangaswamy Chikka and Celestina also failed to progress after being eliminated in the women’s sprint 1/16 stage.
In shooting, Anish Bhanwala finished seventh in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol final. His campaign had carried medal expectations, but he could not finish among the podium positions in the decisive round.
India’s rugby campaign also came to an end after defeats against Hong Kong, China and China. The men’s volleyball team suffered a quarter-final defeat to Pakistan, while wrestlers Aman and Sumit were eliminated in the Greco-Roman 77kg and 60kg categories respectively.
There was further disappointment in compound archery, where Chikitha Taniparthi lost her women’s individual quarter-final. Sport climber Deepu Mallesh failed to progress from the men’s speed 4 stage.
In canoe slalom, Shikha Chouhan finished seventh in the women’s kayak single final, while several other Indian cyclists were eliminated in the early stages of their respective events.
Golf, however, continued to provide medal hope for India. Pranavi Sharath Urs was in second place after the second round of the women’s competition, keeping herself firmly in contention. Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok were placed 21st and 25th respectively.
In the men’s event, Saptak Talwar was seventh after two rounds. Veer Ahlawat was 16th, while Yuvraj Sandhu occupied 22nd place.
The mixed results reflected the demanding nature of the Games, with India continuing to collect medals in several disciplines while a number of established medal prospects saw their campaigns end at crucial stages. The hockey teams’ progress to the finals and Nitesh Siwach’s Greco-Roman silver provided significant positives amid the exits elsewhere.