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Savan Barwal wins silver in Nagoya Asian Games marathon, breaking record
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Aaj Tak
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Savan Barwal wins silver in Nagoya Asian Games marathon, breaking record

In Nagoya, the Indian athlete Savan Barwal achieved a historic feat that the entire country had awaited for 44 years. He won the silver medal in the men's marathon at the 2026 Asian Games. Barwal finished with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 37 seconds, which was both his personal best and a new national record.

The gold medal was won by Ititaka Yamashita from Japan with a time of 2:10:49, while Peiyue Feng from China secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:12:13. Barwal trailed Yamashita by 48 seconds.

Barwal demonstrated a strong start to the race. In the 5th kilometer, he held second place with a time of 15:28, but by the 10th kilometer, he took the lead. His time at the 15th kilometer was 47:35, and he continued to lead; at the 20th kilometer, he was also leading with a time of 1:02:35. At the half marathon, or 21.1 kilometers, he posted a time of 1:05:54 and remained the leader.

Barwal maintained his lead until the 25th kilometer, when his time was 1:18:19. However, at the 30th kilometer, Yamashita from Japan managed to catch him, and Barwal settled for second place, trailing by only one second. After this, Barwal regained the lead at the 35th kilometer, but after the 40th kilometer, Yamashita launched a decisive attack, forcing Barwal to settle for second place.

This silver medal marks India's first medal result in the marathon at the Asian Games in the last 44 years. Previously, India's last medal result at the Asian Games was achieved at the Delhi Games in 1982. Before that, Chhota Singh won gold in 1951, and Surat Singh Mathur won bronze, while HK Sitaram won bronze in 1982. Thus, Barwal's silver in Nagoya became India's first marathon medal at the Asian Games outside the country.

Furthermore, earlier this year in April, Barwal broke Shivnat Singh's 48-year-old national record by running the marathon in Rotterdam with a time of 2:11:58. Shivnat Singh set the record of 2:12:00 in 1978, and Barwal surpassed it in his first competitive marathon in Rotterdam.

At the Asian Games in Nagoya, Barwal improved upon his previous record. Among the other participants in this race, the second Indian runner, Kartik Kerker, finished 17th out of 19 participants.

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Three Indian athletes win first medal in women's shooting event at Asian Games
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Three Indian athletes win first medal in women's shooting event at Asian Games

India secured two bronze medals in the shooting discipline at the Asian Games. The women's and men's shooting teams finished third in the team standings. A special achievement was the victory of the trio Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal, who brought India its first medal in the women's team shooting tournament at the Asian Games.

After a three-day qualification round, the Indian women's team scored a total of 331 points. China won gold with 357 points, Kazakhstan took silver with 336 points, while India managed to settle for bronze.

Raiza and Parinaaz scored 111 out of 125 points, and Maheshwari scored 109 points. Raiza and Parinaaz now have a chance to win a medal in the individual standings, as both qualified for the finals of the individual women's shooting event. Raiza placed eighth, and Parinaaz placed ninth.

Maheshwari Chauhan

Maheshwari Chauhan was born on July 4, 1996, in Siana, Rajasthan. She is an Indian sport shooter specializing in women's shooting events. She started shooting at the age of 15, inspired by her family's passion for sports, especially her grandfather, whose dedication motivated her to competitive shooting. At 17, Maheshwari first represented India internationally at the ISSF Junior Championships. Currently, she trains in Kelwa, Rajsamand, under Andrea Benelli (Italy), and at Dr. Karn Singh's shooting range in New Delhi, representing Rajasthan at the National Championship.

Maheshwari is considered one of the most capable female sport shooters in India and has played a leading role in this discipline. In 2017, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Women's Shooting Championship, winning both a silver and a bronze medal at the Asian Shotgun Championship in Kazakhstan. Later, she won a silver medal at the ISSF Olympic Games qualification stage, setting a national record of 121/125 and securing a spot for India at the Olympics. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she was part of India's first women's shooting team, achieving an impressive fourth place, narrowly missing a medal. Maheshwari, who has set eight national records in women's shooting, continues to work towards the long-term goal of winning her first Olympic medal and World Championship title in shooting, while inspiring the next generation of Indian shotgun shooters.

Raiza Dhillon

Raiza Dhillon (born April 20, 2004) is an Indian sport shooter from Chandigarh, specializing in women's shooting events. At the age of 16, she began shooting under the influence of her father, Ravidjit Singh Dhillon, whose passion for sports prompted her to develop this field competitively. Raiza debuted internationally for India at the ISSF Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, in 2021. She trains at the National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in New Delhi under the guidance of renowned Italian coach Riccardo Filippelli and represents Haryana at the National Championship.

Due to her outstanding performances on the international stage, Raiza has established herself as one of the leading female sport shooters in India. She made history by securing the first Olympic quota for women's shooting for India at the 2024 Asian Shotgun Championship in Paris. Among her achievements are a silver medal at the ISSF Junior Championships in Kuwait and a silver medal at the ISSF Junior Championships in Suhl and New Delhi, Germany. In the country, she set a national record of 122/125 in both senior and junior categories, and also won a gold medal in the senior women's shooting at the 2025 National Championship. Aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Raiza remains one of the brightest athletes in shotgun shooting.

Raiza's Achievements:

  • Gold: Junior Shooting Team, ISSF Junior Championships in Lima, Peru (2021)
  • Silver: Junior Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships in Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
  • Gold: Mixed Shooting Team, Asian Championship, Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
  • Silver: Junior Shooting, Asian Championship, Changdo, Republic of Korea (2023)
  • Silver: Women's Shooting, Asian Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait (2024)
  • Bronze: Mixed Shooting Team, Asian Championship, Kuwait City, Kuwait (2024)
  • Silver: Junior Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships, New Delhi, India (2025)
  • Silver: Junior Women's Shooting, ISSF Junior Championships, Suhl, Germany (2025)

Parinaaz Dhaliwal

Parinaaz Dhaliwal was born on November 30, 2001, in Patiala. She specializes in women's shooting, team shooting, and mixed team shooting. She started shooting in 2015 at the Nu Moti Bagh club, initially trying trap before switching to skeet.

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