Asian U23 Athletics C'ships: Indian 4x400m mixed relay team bags India's first gold medal

Indian athletes made a solid start to their campaign, winning five medals on day 1 of the Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, on Thursday.

The Indian 4x400m mixed relay quartet of Astik Pradhan, Sandramol Sabu, Setu Mishra and Shravani Sangle bagged the first-ever gold medal for India.

They clocked a solid time of 3:18.64s to edge out hosts China (3:18.74s) in a photo finish. The Philippines bagged the bronze medal with a time of 3:25.28s.

Double Podium in 5,000m 

Indian distance runners Shivaji Parashuram and Vinod Singh also gave a good account of themselves by winning silver and bronze in the men’s 5,000m.

Parashuram clocked 14:08.19s while Singh's bronze-winning time was 14.23.57s. Japan’s Rui Suzuki clinched the gold medal with a time of 14:01.24s.

Meanwhile, Prachi Ankush Devkar and Bhartpreet Singh won bronze medals in women's 3,000m steeplechase and men's discus throw events, respectively. 

Prachi clocked 10:32.69s to finish third behind the two Chinese runners, while Bhartpreet confirmed a medal with a throw of 52.91m on his fifth attempt.

On the other hand, Nitika Akare (Women's Pole Vault) and Mohammed Muhassin (Men's Triple Jump) finished in 4th and 5th positions, respectively.