India Win Five Medals, Including Mixed Relay Gold, at Asian U-23 Athletics Championships

India made a memorable start to the inaugural Asian U-23 Athletics Championships , winning five medals, including a gold , on the opening day of competition on Thursday.

The highlight of the day came in the mixed 4x400m relay , where the Indian quartet of Astik Pradhan, Sandra Mol Sabu, Sethu Mishra and Shravani Sachin Sangle produced a superb performance to clinch the gold medal. The team clocked 3:18.64 , finishing on top of the podium and giving India a perfect finish to an impressive day.

India’s medal journey began with Bhartpreet Singh , who earned a bronze medal in the men’s discus throw with an effort of 52.91m . China dominated the event, with Li Zhixin taking gold with 60.79m and Jiang Zehao claiming silver with 59.60m .

The Indian contingent enjoyed further success in the men’s 5000m final , where Shivaji Parashuram Madappagoudra secured the silver medal after clocking 14:08.19 . Fellow Indian Vinod Singh added another podium finish by winning the bronze in 14:23.67 . Japan’s Rui Suzuki captured the gold with a time of 14:01.24 .

India’s fifth medal came through Prachi Devkar , who fought hard to claim bronze in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a timing of 10:32.69 . China once again occupied the top two places, with Yang Yiting winning gold in 10:14.68 and Liu Yuxin taking silver in 10:25.51 .

With one gold, one silver and three bronze medals on the opening day, the 53-member Indian team has laid a strong foundation in the inaugural continental event. The performances in Ordos underlined the growing depth of Indian athletics and provided an encouraging start to the championship campaign.