Go India!
Boxer Mary Kom after winning the gold in women’s flyweight (48-51kg) category. [Photo: Shahbaz Khan |PTI]
The Indian contingent has been busy bagging medals at the 17th Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea. They have won medals in almost all categories, some of the most notable are Mary Kom’s gold in boxing, Seema Punia’s gold in discus and Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni’s gold in tennis mixed doubles. Another woman boxer from India, Sarita Devi refused her bronze medal and handed it to her Korean counterpart. A PTI report.
Mary Kom, christened “Magnificent Mary” by the International Boxing Association, trailed her rival in the battle of two left-handed boxers in the first round with three ringside judges being swayed towards her rival’s way at the Seonhak boxing gymnasium.
But an undeterred Mary stormed her way back by edging past her rival in round two and then dominated the Kazakh in the last two rounds after one of the judge’s score tied the two at 38-38.
(Above): Indian tennis players Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni after winning Gold medals in mixed doubles. [Photo: Shahbaz Khan |PTI]
It was the third women’s medal for India from the ring, after the bronze medals won by L. Sarita Devi (women’s light weight) and Pooja Rani (women’s middle weight).
In athletics, Luka clocked 1:59.19s to better the bronze medal she had won in this event in the previous edition of the Games in Guangzhou.
(Above): India’s Seema Punia, Gold medalist for women’s discus throw at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. [Photo: Press Trust of India]
A discus throw of 61.03m went a long way as Seema Punia won the first athletics gold for India, the fifth overall. Punia wept as the national anthem echoed through an almost-empty Main Asiad Stadium.
Annu Rani added to the cheer by winning a bronze with her personal best effort of 59.53m.
(Above): India’s boxer Sarita Devi hugs a Korean boxer whom she handed over bronze medal while refusing to accept it during the award ceremony of lightweight category boxing event at the Asian Games in Incheon. [Photo: Shahbaz Khan |PTI]
Elsewhere, India endured mixed results. A bronze medal was missed when Sandeep Kumar and Basant Bahadur Rana finished fourth and fifth respectively in the men’s 50km race walk.