India opened up the Athletics medal tally at the Asian Games 2023 with a historic bronze medal from the shot putter Kiran Baliyan. It was the only second Asiad shot put medal, which India waited for 72 years.
Friday (September 29) was the first day of the Athletics event at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2023. On the same day, the 24-year-old Kiran Baliyan ended India’s 72-year wait for the Asiad shot put medal by winning a bronze for the country.
Asian Games 2023: Athletics (Women’s Shot Put) – Kiran Baliyan won a silver medal with her second-best performance
While the Chinese athletes, reigning Olympic champion Gong Lijiao (best throw 19.58m) and Song Jiayuan (best throw 18.92m) won the gold and silver medals, respectively, Kiran secured the bronze medal with her best throw of the event, 17.36 metres.
Kiran’s best throw came in her third attempt in that final event. Her other throws in that event managed the distance of 15.42m, 16.84m, 16.76m, 16.79m, and 16.87m, respectively.
However, it wasn’t a shocking performance from Kiran, who recently recorded her personal best of 17.92m at the Indian Grand Prix 5 earlier this month. The 17.36m throw in Hangzhou was her second-best personal performance.
At the Asian Games 1951 in New Delhi, which was the inaugural edition of the Asian Games, Barbara Webster won India’s first Asiad shot put medal by claiming a bronze medal. After that, Kiran became the second Indian to win a shot put medal at the Asian Games.
Asian Games 2023: Athletics (Women’s Shot Put) – Manpreet Kaur finished in the 5th spot
Meanwhile, the popular Indian shot putter Manpreet Kaur finished in the fifth position at the Asian Games 2023 with her best throw of 16.25m. After crossing the 16m mark with her first throw, which put her in the third position at the end of the first throw of all participants, Manpreet failed to repeat it once more.
