Anurag Thakur Celebrates India's Remarkable Medal Achievement at Asian Games

Anurag Thakur Celebrates 'Historic' Achievement

On Saturday, BJP MP Anurag Thakur praised India's outstanding performance at the Asian Games, calling Friday a 'historic' day as the nation secured six medals in just one day. He expressed optimism that this success would continue in kabaddi and other competitions.

While addressing the media at Kangra Airport, Thakur congratulated the Indian athletes for their remarkable achievements at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. 'I extend my congratulations to the Indian players for their incredible performance. Yesterday was historic, with India winning six medals in a single day — one gold, two silver, and three bronze,' he stated.

India's Medal Success Continues

India's six medals on Friday included golds in shooting by Kamaljeet and Inder Singh Suruchi in the mixed team 10m air pistol event. Additionally, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, and Niraj Kumar earned silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team event. In athletics, Gulveer Singh secured silver in the men's 10,000m, while Manpreet Kaur and Baranica Elangovan won bronze in women's shot put and pole vault, respectively. Manush Shah and Diya Chitale also contributed a bronze in table tennis mixed doubles.

Continuing their medal streak on Saturday, Sawan Barwal achieved silver in the men's marathon, setting a national record of 2:11:37, marking India's first Asian Games marathon podium finish in 44 years. The women's team also secured silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions event with Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen, and Vidarsa Vinod. Tilottama and Vidarsa finished fourth and fifth in the individual finals.

In squash, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar earned a bronze after their mixed doubles semifinal loss to Hong Kong's Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi. Archery saw impressive performances, with Chikitha Taniparthi leading the women's compound qualification with 705 points, and Dhiraj Bommadevara topping the men's recurve qualification with 698 points, setting both Asian and national records. In badminton, Unnati Hooda advanced by defeating Malaysia's Wong Ling China, while Animesh Kujur topped his men's 200m heat to reach the semifinals. The men's sabre and women's foil teams also progressed to the quarterfinals but were eliminated by South Korea and Japan, respectively.

Current Medal Tally

As of now, India's medal tally stands at 26, which includes two gold, 11 silver, and 13 bronze medals, placing the country in 12th position in the overall standings.