Asian Games: Seema Kumari wins bronze in 10,000m; Asha Ilango finishes fourth

Aichi-Nagoya: Indian athlete Seema Kumari clinched the bronze medal in the women's 10,000m event at the ongoing Asian Games, while compatriot Asha Ilango narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the women's triple jump, finishing fourth, with Niharika Vashisht ending the event in 10th place.

Seema remained in the medal hunt till the very end as Winfred Yavi and Nozomi Tanaka battled it out in a sprint finish for the gold and silver medals. Seema pulled clear of the chasing pack in the final stages to secure third place and add another medal to India's athletics tally.

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Winfred Yavi clinched the gold medal with a time of 32:39.18, while Japan's Nozomi Tanaka finished second in 32:41.54 to take silver. India's Seema Kumari secured the bronze medal, clocking 32:50.05 in the women's 10,000m final.

Meanwhile, Asha produced a best jump of 13.83m, matching the mark of bronze medallist Li Yi of China. However, the Indian athlete missed out on the bronze medal on countback after her second-best effort of 13.65m fell short of Li Yi's 13.79m.

Asha's sixth and final attempt measured 13.59m, leaving her just outside the medal positions despite a strong overall performance.

Li Yi's consistency across her six attempts ultimately helped her secure the bronze medal, while Uzbekistan's Sharifa Davronova clinched the gold with a personal-best effort of 14.35m.

Asha's fourth-place finish marked a narrow miss in the medal race, with the final standings decided by the second-best jump after both athletes recorded an identical best mark of 13.83m.

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Niharika, meanwhile, finished 10th in the event as India's athletics campaign continued at the continental showpiece.

Indian athletes Anamika Aneesh and Pooja finished Day 1 of the women's heptathlon outside the medal positions at the ongoing Asian Games. Anamika finished fourth in her 200m heat and currently sits seventh overall, while Pooja also placed fifth in her heat and is ninth in the standings.

Anamika is 148 points behind the third-placed athlete, while Pooja trails the bronze-medal position by 166 points. Both Indian athletes will need strong performances across the remaining events on Day 2 to close the gap and push for a place on the podium.