India record their best-ever performance in Asian Games

S S Ramaswamy
Guangzhou, Nov 26 (PTI) India created history by
recording their best-ever performance in Asian Games with 64
medals, including a record 14 gold, with star boxer Vijender
Singh providing the icing on the cake by bringing the last
yellow metal on the penultimate day here Friday.
The men's and women's kabaddi teams expectedly maintained
their supremacy by clinching the gold before the women's
4x400m quartet and Vijender (75kg) bagged a yellow metal each
on the most productive day for India in the mega-event.
With the addition of 11 more medals Friday, India's tally
climbed to a record 14 gold, 17 silver and 33 bronze (total
64), the biggest ever haul in the Asian Games so far, to jump
to the sixth place.
India's best medal haul till date was recorded in the
1982 Games in Delhi when they had won 13 gold, 19 silver and
25 bronze for an overall tally of 57. India had finished 10 in
the last edition of the Games in Doha with a tally of
10-17-26.
India have now completed their engagements in the Games
and their final standing will depend after the completion of
the six events -- men's and women's marathon, men's and
women's doubles sepaktakraw finals and women's volleyball
final -- Saturday.
China leads the medal table with 197 gold, 117 silver and
98 bronze (total 412), followed by South Korea (74-63-91) and
Japan (47-73-94) at second and third respectively.
While the kabaddi teams did not sweat much to keep their
reputation intact in rather lopsided finals, Vijender made
amends for his bronze-finish in Commonwealth Games with a gold
here while compatriots Santosh Kumar (64) and Manpreet Singh
(91kg) settled for a silver each.
The women's 4x400m relay team also lived up to the
expectations as they defended the gold they won in the 2006
Doha Asian Games.
Long distance runners Preeja Sreedharan, who had earlier
won a gold in women's 10,000m race, and Kavita Raut had their
moment of glory by winning the silver and bronze medals
respectively in the women's 5000m event.
Rollersports fetched India a couple of unexpected bronze
medals with Anup Kumar Yama bagging one in men's single free
skating before combining with Avani Panchal to finish third in
the pairs skating event. The Indian men's chess team also
contributed a bronze. MORE PTI SSR
SAK


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