India’s Manpreet Kaur added another Asian Games medal to her career Friday, clinching bronze in the women’s shot put final as compatriot Krishna Jayasankar Menon finished fifth. The result gave India another podium finish in athletics as the track-and-field programme gathered momentum at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Manpreet entered the competition as the more experienced of the two Indians and produced the stronger performance on the day to secure a place on the podium. Krishna, competing alongside her in the final, remained in medal contention but eventually had to settle for fifth place in a competitive field.
Manpreet delivers medal
The bronze underlined Manpreet’s longevity at the continental level, with the veteran thrower once again finding herself among Asia’s leading shot putters. Her medal also continued India’s run of podium finishes in athletics after the country had picked up medals across track and field events earlier in the Games.
For Krishna, the fifth-place finish represented another appearance on the Asian Games stage but left her outside the medals. The two Indians had entered Friday’s final together, giving the country two opportunities to challenge for a podium position in the event.
Athletics campaign gathers pace
India’s athletics contingent had a packed programme Friday, with medal events and qualification rounds spread across the evening. Manpreet’s bronze provided an early boost as the country looked towards several other events for additions to its medal tally.
The women’s shot put final was among the key medal events involving India on Day 7. Attention was also on the men’s 100m, women’s pole vault, men’s 10,000m and hammer throw as India’s track-and-field campaign moved into a crucial phase of the Games.