New Delhi: India concluded its campaign at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China with a total of five medals, including a lone gold won by Tejaswin Shankar in the men’s heptathlon. The country finished sixth overall in the medals table, while hosts China dominated the event with 34 medals.
Shankar delivered an outstanding all round performance to claim the top podium spot, amassing 5,993 points and surpassing his own national indoor record set in 2021. After taking the lead on the opening day, he maintained momentum across the remaining events to secure a comfortable victory. His consistency in the 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m proved decisive in keeping him ahead of the competition.
In the hurdles event, Shankar clocked 8.02 seconds to earn valuable points and extend his advantage. He followed it with a solid effort in the pole vault, clearing 4.20 metres, before finishing strongly in the 1000m race with a time of 2 minutes 43.91 seconds. The combined results ensured a commanding finish and reaffirmed his status as one of India’s finest multi event athletes.
India added four more medals on the final day through strong performances in field events. Pooja secured a silver in the women’s high jump with an impressive clearance of 1.87 metres, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor claimed silver in the men’s shot put with a season best throw of 20.05 metres. Long jumper Ancy Sojan contributed a bronze with a best effort of 6.21 metres.
Earlier in the competition, high jumper Aadrash Ram Jothi Shankar had opened India’s account with a bronze medal. Other athletes also delivered encouraging performances, with Samardeep Singh Gill finishing fifth in shot put and Moumita Mondal taking sixth place in the women’s long jump. Promising talent Shahnawaz Khan narrowly missed a podium finish after ending fourth in the men’s long jump.
The championship provided valuable international exposure for the Indian contingent and highlighted several strong prospects ahead of a busy athletics season.
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