Avinash Sable wins historic gold in the Hangzhou Asian Games

History was created on Day 8 of the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou,China  when Avinash Sable won the first ever gold medal for India in the men’s 3000 meters steeplechase event in the Asian Games . The Indian men’s badminton team won their first silver medal in the games  and Aditi Ashok became the first woman golfer to win a silver medal in golf at the Asian Games.

Indian athletes won 15 medals - three gold, seven silver and five bronze - on the eighth day at the Asian Games 2023 on 1 October 2023. 

A  strong 655- member Indian team is competing at the 19th Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. The 19th edition of the Asian Games officially began on September 23,2023 and will conclude on October 8,2023.

Record medal haul by the shooters in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023

• On day 8 of the Asian Games ,shooters won three medals, one gold ,one silver and one bronze  to end their campaign in the 19th Asian Games. 
• They won a total of 22 medals : 7 gold , 9 silver and 6 bronze. This was the highest ever medal won by Indian shooters in a single Asian Games . 
• Before the Hangzhou games the shooters won 14 medals in the 15th Asian Games at Doha ,Qatar,in 2006 with 3 gold medals. 

Medal Winners for India on day 8 of the Hangzhou Asian Games 

Gold Medal Winners 

• The men’s team of Zoravar Singh, Kynan Darius Chenai and Prithviraj Tondaiman won the gold medal  in the shooting trap team event with an Asian Games record of 361 points.
• Tajinderpal Singh Toor threw 20.36m in the final  to win the gold medal in the men’s shot put event. He had won gold at the previous Jakarta Asian Games 2018. He also holds the Asian (21.77m) and Asian Games (20.75m) records.
• Avinash Sable won the men's 3000m steeplechase final to win the gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. It is India's first track and field gold at 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. He also set a new Asian record by completing the race in 8 minutes :19.53 seconds. The 29-year-old Indian runner had won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

 Silver Medal Winners 

• 24 years old Jyothi Yarraji clocked 12.91 seconds in the women's 100m hurdles final at the Asian Games 2023 to win the silver medal. The 24-year-old athlete was initially awarded the bronze medal However, China's Wu Yanni was disqualified after the race, upgrading Yarraji's medal to a silver.
• The Indian men’s badminton team won a silver medal in the men’s badminton team event . They lost to China 3-2 . However they created a record by winning the first silver medal in the team event . It is India's second silver medal at the Asian Games in badminton. PV Sindhu won a silver medal in the women’s individual event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. India had previously won three men's team bronze medals. 
• Aditi Ashok became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Games golf tournament. She won the silver in the women’s individual  event.
• Murali Sreeshankar won silver medal in the men’s Long Jump with a best of 8.19m at the Asian Games 2023. The 24-year-old jumped just 0.3m short of the gold medal winner Wang Jianan from China. 
• Ajay Kumar Saroj won the silver in the men’s 1500 final and bronze Qatar's Mohamad Algarni won gold with a season-best time of 3:38.36.
• Harmilan Bains won  a silver medal in the women's 1500m final at the Asian Games 2023. She clocked 4:12.74 in the final. 
• Indian women shooters Rajeshwari Kumari, Manisha Keer and Preeti Rajak won the silver medal in the women's trap team event. 

Bronze medal Winners 

• In the women's heptathlon, Nandini Agasara won the bronze medal after seven events. In heptathlon an athlete competes in seven events. The event consists of the 100 meters hurdles, 200 meters sprint,  800 meters sprint , high jump, shot put, long jump, and  javelin throw.
• shooter Kynan Chenai bagged the bronze medal in the men's individual trap final. 
• Seema Punia won a bronze medal with a throw of 58.62m in the women's discus throw final.The 40-year-old Seema has won 3 medals in the Asian games  - gold in 2014, bronze in 2018 and bronze in 2023.
• Jinson Johnson won the bronze medals in the men's 1500m final at the Asian Games 2023. 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Jinson Johson finished with a time of 3:39.74. 
• Two time world champion Nikhat Zareen lost 3:2 on points against Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat in the women's 50 kg semi-final at Hangzhou 2023. She had to settle for a  bronze medal in her first Asian Games. 

India finished the day 8 with 53 medals- 13 gold,21 silver and 19 bronze medals.