NEW DELHI: Indian athletics received a major boost just days before the Asian Games as Uttar Pradesh’s Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women’s hammer throw national record at the Indian Athletics Series Final on Thursday.Tanya sent the hammer to a distance of 68.35m, bettering the previous national record of 67.02m set by her state-mate Anushka Yadav in June. Anushka finished second with a best effort of 66.34m.Both Tanya and Anushka are part of India’s Asian Games squad, making Tanya’s record-breaking performance particularly significant with the Games beginning on September 19.Tanya pocketed Rs 1 lakh for winning the event, while Anushka received Rs 50,000.
A huge jump from Tanya’s last Asian Games outing
The new national record represents a massive improvement from Tanya’s previous Asian Games performance. She finished seventh at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou with a throw of 60.50m.Her latest effort of 68.35m is also well beyond the 64.14m that earned South Korea’s Kim Tae-hui the women’s hammer throw bronze medal in Hangzhou.With the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games now just days away, Tanya’s breakthrough provides an encouraging sign for India’s athletics contingent and could give her significant momentum heading into the competition.
Expanded athletics squad adds to India’s strength
The Athletics Federation of India had initially named a 77-member athletics squad — 34 men and 43 women — for the 20th Asian Games in Japan. The contingent has since been expanded to 79 athletes.The squad features several Asian and national record holders, including Gulveer Singh, Avinash Sable, Sreeshankar M, Ancy Sojan, Praveen Chithravel, Tejaswin Shankar, Rohit Yadav, Annu Rani, Jyothi Yarraji and Priyanka Goswami.India’s overall Asian Games contingent has also been expanded to 503 athletes across 36 sports, following the inclusion of surfing.Athletics, which will be without injured javelin star Neeraj Chopra, has the largest support staff among India’s disciplines, with 31 members, including 20 coaches led by national coach P Radhakrishnan.Tanya’s national record has thus arrived at an ideal time, giving Indian athletics another timely boost ahead of the Games.
