 "Parul Chaudhary and Priti")
India’s Parul Chaudhary and Priti secured silver and bronze medals in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, unheralded Ancy Sojan made a grand entry on the big stage with a long jump silver, while the 4x400m mixed relay team got a fortuitous upgrade to second spot due to “lane infringement”, on an eventful day at the Asian Games on Monday.
The Indian contingent added seven medals, with three silver and four bronze, on Monday as it retained its fourth position on the overall tally.
On a day when Chaudhary and Priti, despite giving off their best in the gruelling steeplechase event, were left chasing the shadow of Bahrain’s Yavi Winfred Mutile, a “lane infringement” by the Sri Lankan 4x400m mixed relay quartet saw the India’s bronze turn to silver in a matter of minutes after the completion of the event. The Indian quartet had earlier finished third on the podium behind Sri Lanka.
In 3000m steeplechase, Parul clocked 9:27.63 seconds, which was more than nine seconds behind the Bahrain runner, who took the top podium finish in 9:18.28 seconds, a new Games record.
The previous record stood in the name of country-mate Jebet Ruth (9:31.36 sec) set during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Though Parul also breached the Asian Games record, it was nowhere close to her national record and personal best of 9:15.31 clocked at the World Championships in Budapest, which helped her qualify for the Paris Olympics, in August.
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Compatriot Priti finished a good 16 seconds behind Parul, clocking a personal best 9:43.32 seconds to win the bronze in a close finish with Bahrain runner Mekonen Tigest Getent, who timed 9:43.71 seconds. Yavi began to pull away in the sixth lap of the gruelling race, even as Parul faded out.
The Kenyan-born Bahrain runner, who won the 2023 World Athletics Championships gold in the event beating country-mate Beatrice Chepkoech, finished at least 50 metres ahead of the 28-year-old Parul.
A farmer's daughter from Iklauta village in Meerut, Paul has been the top Indian woman steeplechaser in the last few years. She is an accidental athlete, taking up the sport when her father told her to participate in a school race without any preparation.
She won the 800m race barefoot and began the journey. Priti, the daughter of a petrol-pump attendant at Jawan village in Faridabad district, Haryana, said it was a dream come true for her as well as her father Jagbir Lamba.
