Incheon: Discus thrower Vikas Gowda won the silver but his compatriot and boxer Sarita Devi was robbed of what could have been at least a silver, if not a possible gold, as India won four medals, including three bronze medals, on day 11 of the 17th Asian Games here Tuesday.
Sarita, a former world champion, endured a controversial loss in the controversial 57-60 kg category semi-final bout and settled for the bronze medal while the other two came from her fellow boxer Pooja Rani and from the sailors, Varsha Gautham and Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan, who won the bronze medal in the 29er – women’s two person dinghy.
But there could be good news for India as Olympic bronze medal winning boxer M.C. Mary Kom secured a berth in the women’s 48-51 kg final while Satish Kumar and Vikas Krishan assured India of two more medals from the discipline after they reached the men’s semi-finals in their respective categories.
The men’s hockey team also made it to the final after 12 years and will be up against arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan in Thursday’s title clash.
Two-time champions India edged past hosts South Korea 1-0 and stayed on course for their first Asian Games gold medal in 16 years. India have a poor 1-7 record against eight-time champions Pakistan in the final of the Asian Games. The only time India managed to beat Pakistan was in the 1966 Bangkok Games.
It was a solitary strike by Akashdeep Singh that helped India beat hosts South Korea 1-0 in the semi-finals at the Soenhak Hockey Stadium and qualify for their first final in 12 years.
At the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, while Gowda won the silver, quartermilers also kept alive India’s medal hopes.
2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gowda was favourite to win the gold medal but had to satisfy with the silver medal with a throw of 62.58 metres in his second attempt. Gowda had hurled the discus to 63.64m to win the gold in Glasgow. Gowda’s Incheon show was also below his bronze-medal winning mark of 63.13m at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
The US-based Gowda took the lead among 14 competitors after the first throw but was overtaken after the second throw by gold-medal winner Ehsan Hadadi of Iran, who claimed the yellow metal with 65.11m. This was Hadadi’s third straight Games gold after throwing 63.79m in 2006 Doha and 67.99m in 2010 Guangzhou. Qatar’s Mohammed Ahmed Dheeb clinched bronze with a best throw of 61.25m in his final attempt.
Among the quartermilers, defending champion Ashwini Akkunji made it to the final of the women’s 400m hurdles with a timing of 57.67 seconds in the round one, heat one, where a Games Record of 55.09 secs was set by Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya. Jithin Paul made it to the men’s 400m hurdles.
Tintu Luka, bronze medallist in 2010, and Sushma Devi also qualified for the women’s 800m final while Sajeeh Joseph made it to the men’s final.
In the boxing ring, five-time World champion, Mary Kom beat Vietnam’s Le Thi Bang by a unanimous 3-0 decision in the last-four match to enter the final. The Olympic bronze medallist looked in fine form and her speed and guile was just too much to handle for the Vietnamese. The Manipuri pugilist will take on Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova in the final Wednesday.
Later, Sarita Devi lost her semi-final bout in controversial circumstances and had to be content with the bronze in the 57-60 kg category. The 32-year-old lost 0-3 in a unanimous judges’ decision to South Korea’s Jina Park.
The controversy took place in the third round as the Indian battered Park with her punches but Judges B and C awarded the round 10-9 in favour of the host fighter while Judge A gave the round 10-9 to Sarita.
Sarita’s disappointment was followed by Pooja who lost her 69-75 kg semi-final to claim bronze. She lost 0-2, with the third judge giving a tied score to China’s Li Qian.
In the men’s section, Satish Kumar assured the country a medal by reaching the semis in the +91 kg category after winning his quarter-final bout 2-1 against Jordan’s Hussein Eishaish. He will take on Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dycho in the last four match Thursday.
Vikas Krishan also ensured a medal for India by reaching the men’s 75 kg quarter-final by drubbing Hurshidbek Normatov of Uzbekistan 3-0.
In sailing, the Indian pair of Varsha and Aishwarya finished second in the 12th and the final race to claim the bronze medal in the 29er – women’s two person dinghy – at the Wangsan Sailing Marina.
Skipper Varsha and crew Aishwarya finished the race, one minute and 41 seconds behind the Thai skipper-crew pair of Noppakao Poonpat and Nichapa Waiwai in the 12th race. The Thai duo went on to win the gold medal with a net 19 points.
The Singaporean duo of Rui Xi Priscilla Low and Rui Qi Cecilia Low finished third in the final race, 2.08 seconds behind the Thai girls, but went onto clinch the silver medal with net 21 points.
