Nagoya, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India ended its sprint programme at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with contrasting results in the women’s and men’s 200m finals on Sunday, as Harita Bhadra clinched bronze while Animesh Kujur finished fifth.
Harita clocked 23.20 seconds to secure the women’s 200m bronze, edging Japan’s sprinter by just one hundredth of a second.
Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira won gold in 22.78 seconds, while China’s Chen Yujie, the 100m champion at these Games, took silver in 22.93 seconds.
The medal ended India’s wait for a podium finish in the women’s 200m at the Asian Games since Dutee Chand’s bronze at the 2018 edition. Harita, 23, also became only the sixth Indian woman to win a 200m medal at the continental event.
The Maharashtra sprinter entered the Games after lowering her personal best to 23.14 seconds at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, where she won the national title. Her Asian Games bronze came just 0.06 seconds slower than that mark.
Harita’s teammate Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland finished sixth in 23.46 seconds. She was among the first to congratulate Harita after the race, embracing her following the Indian sprinter’s podium finish.
In the men’s 200m final, Animesh finished fifth in 20.80 seconds after failing to reproduce the pace that had taken him into the final.
Thailand’s Puripol Boonson dominated the race to complete the 100m-200m sprint double. He clocked 19.88 seconds, matching the Asian record, after setting a new Games record during the qualifying round.
Animesh had also advanced to the 100m semifinal earlier in the Games. For Harita, meanwhile, the bronze marked a rare Indian sprint podium at the Asian Games and capped her maiden appearance at the continental event with a medal.
FOLLOW NOW
