On the final day of action at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday, July 16th, Reliance Foundation athlete Jyothi Yarraji added a silver medal in the 200m event to her gold in the 100m hurdles. Gulveer Singh, another Reliance Foundation athlete, also performed admirably on the final day, winning bronze in the 5000m race.
Jyothi was in great form in the final, clocking a personal best of 23.13s to take silver behind Singapore’s Veronica Shanti Pereira, who set a new Championship record with a time of 22.70s. Gulveer finished third in the final with a time of 13:48.33, trailing the Japanese duo of Hyuga Endo (13:34.94) and Kazuya Shiojiri (13:43.92).
Jyothi expressed gratitude for overcoming numerous obstacles to earn two medals. “There was rain and a false start when I started the 100m hurdles event.” So I’m overjoyed to be returning with two medals. Despite being sick, I was able to set a personal best in the 200m. I’ll now focus on performing well at the Asian Games and the World Championships. I’ll also talk to my coach about the areas where I can improve.”
Reliance Foundation Athletics Director James Hillier praised the athletes’ efforts. “Gulveer ran an excellent tactical race.” He conserved energy at first, and as the athletes in front of him began to tire, he took advantage of it. He had recently recovered from a foot blister, and he showed tremendous courage to win the medal.”
He also praised Jyothi’s courage in winning two medals and setting a new personal best. “When I first told people Jyothi could win a medal in the 200m at the Asian Championships, many were skeptical. She has already done so. It’s incredible to do it with two personal bests. She awoke this morning with a fever and vomiting, so it took a great effort from her not only to compete but also to win a medal. She is a champion because champions find a way to win even when the odds are stacked against them, and she did just that.”
Jyothi had earlier set a personal best timing of 13.09 seconds in the final of the 100m hurdles event on Thursday. Jyothi’s performance in the Continental Championships was the first gold medal for an Indian in the 100m hurdles event. It also guaranteed her a spot at the World Championships. Anuradha Biswal (bronze in 2000) and Jayapal Hemasree (bronze in 2013) were the only Indians to medal in the 100m hurdles event in the previous 22 editions of the tournament.
Earlier in the tournament, Gulveer finished fifth in the 10000m race on the first day of competition with a time of 29:53.69s. India finished third in the Asian Athletics Championship medal standings with 27 medals, including 6 golds, 12 silvers, and 9 bronzes.
Also read: Today marks the start of Mumbai City FC’s pre-season training camp in Thailand.
