Rich Haul

Despite the absence of some top continental athletes, the Indian contingent garnered plenty of positive takeaways from the Asian Athletics Championships

- Tanmoy Mookherjee

FOR THE FIRST time in history, India topped the medals tally at the Asian Athletics Championships. The Indian athletes came away with a record-breaking haul of 29 medals to firmly establish themselves as the top dogs in the 22nd edition of the continental championship at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. With 12 gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals, India trumped the likes of China, Kazakhstan and Japan. But it might be prudent to remember that these traditional powerhouses in athletics didn’t send their A-squads because of the World Athletics Championships, which were held in London a mere couple of weeks after the Asian meet.

Despite the rich medal haul, the meet also highlighted the yawning gap that exists between India’s top athletes and those who compete at the elite level in the World or European Championships. The most telling moment that reflected this reality was the look of disbelief on the face of the legendary P.T. Usha when her ward, Tintu Luka, collapsed 150m into the final lap of the women’s 800m, stunning the packed stadium into silence.