Harita Bhadra claims 200m bronze
India celebrated a successful Sunday at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya as sprinter Harita Bhadra secured third place in the women's 200m final. She crossed the finish line in 23.20 seconds to claim the bronze medal. Singaporean athlete Shanti Pereira captured gold with a remarkable time of 22.78 seconds, and China's Chen Yujie took silver after finishing in 22.93 seconds. This continental tournament serves as an important competitive baseline for athletes preparing for upcoming global track and field events.
Several Indian pugilists guaranteed podium finishes following decisive quarterfinal victories. Narender advanced to the men's 90+kg semifinals by defeating Thailand's Adthapong Saengtep. Officials stopped the contest just 1 minute and 37 seconds into the first round after Narender scored two powerful knockdowns. Women's 65kg boxer Parveen Hooda confirmed another medal with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision against Uzbekistan's Navbakhor Khamidova. She won her specific rounds with scores of 4-1, 5-0, and 5-0. This impressive victory brings significant redemption for Hooda, who previously lost her 2022 Asian Games medal over a technical doping violation. Ankush Panghal joined the winning streak by defeating Tajikistan's Nekruz Salimov in the men's 80kg quarterfinal to secure one more boxing medal for India.
Sprinter Animesh Kujur finished fifth in the men's 200m final, missing the podium with a time of 20.80 seconds. Thailand's Puripol Boonson won that event in 19.88 seconds, followed by China's Huang Youwen at 20.45 seconds and Japan's Soshi Mizukubo at 20.56 seconds.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI
