Gurindervir, Animesh bow out; Pooja finishes sixth in heptathlon

: India’s Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur failed to qualify for the men’s 100m final at the Asian Games. Pooja finished sixth in the women’s heptathlon with 5,368 points, while Anamika Kozhinjaparambil ended eighth with 5,234 points

Nagoya: India’s Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur bowed out of the men’s 100m event at the Asian Games after failing to qualify for the final, while Pooja and Anamika Kozhinjaparambil finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the women’s heptathlon here on Friday.

Gurindervir, who had advanced to the semifinals after finishing second in his heat in 10.38 seconds, clocked 10.32 seconds to finish fifth in Semifinal Heat 2.

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Oman’s Ali Balushi won the heat, while China’s Xie Zhenye finished second to secure their places in the final. Gurindervir made a strong start but could not maintain his position in a faster field.

Animesh also failed to progress after finishing seventh in his semifinal heat in 10.38 seconds.

Earlier, Animesh produced a strong finish in Heat 1 to secure third place in 10.36 seconds, while Gurindervir finished second in Heat 4 in 10.38 seconds. Both Indians automatically qualified for the semifinals by finishing among the top three in their respective heats.

Thailand’s Puripol Boonson was the standout performer in the heats, clocking 9.95 seconds in Heat 1, just 0.03 seconds outside the Asian Games record.

In the women’s heptathlon, Pooja clocked 2:16.43 in the 800m, the final event, while compatriot Anamika finished third in the race in 2:18.06.

However, neither Indian could secure an overall medal. Pooja finished sixth with 5,368 points, while Anamika ended eighth with 5,234 points.

Japan’s Yuri Tanaka won the heptathlon gold with 5,920 points, followed by compatriot Nanaka Kajiki with 5,673 points. Kazakhstan’s Alina Chistyakova claimed bronze with 5,568 points.

Uzbekistan’s Ugiloy Norboeva finished fourth with 5,412 points, while Chinese Taipei’s Cai-juan Chen was fifth with 5,378 points. Indonesia’s Emilia Nova finished seventh with 5,279 points.

Vietnam’s Thang Giang Hoang and Iran’s Fatemeh Mohitizadeh completed the standings with 4,360 and 3,486 points, respectively.