Indian distance runner bags second consecutive podium in Japan.
Indian athlete Parul Chaudhary captured her second consecutive medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya by securing third place in the women's 5000m final. She crossed the finish line in 15 minutes and 14.61 seconds on Monday, adding another crucial prize to India's growing athletics haul, as highlighted by the Athletics Federation of India. Competing in three consecutive finals over three days required incredible stamina. Chaudhary pushed hard until the finish line of the 5000m race, finishing just 1.46 seconds behind Japan's Nozomi Tanaka, who claimed silver with a 15:11.65 timing. Bahrain's Winfred Yavi took home gold by clocking 15:10.18. This 5000m achievement arrived just one day after Chaudhary established a new national record in the 3000m steeplechase, where she finished third in 9:08.67. Her grueling track schedule began last Thursday with a fourth-place finish in the 1500m final with a time of 4:09.46.
Distance running has seen steady growth in India recently, and consecutive international podium finishes reinforce this positive trend. Thanks to these athletic successes, India's overall medal count at the continental event has reached 42. This total includes four gold, 18 silver, and 20 bronze medals, placing the nation 12th in the current standings. Athletics currently accounts for 16 of these prizes. Monday brought further success for the Indian contingent on the track. Vithya Ramraj broke the national record in the women's 400m hurdles with a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze. Gulveer Singh also grabbed his second silver of the Games. He finished the men's 1500m in 3:36.72, placing just behind Japan's Kazuto Iizawa, who set a new Games record.
With Inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI
