3 players from Punjab who won medal at Asian Games ft. Harmilan Bains
Indian athletes etched history in record books after a record-breaking medal haul at the 2022 Asian Games this year in Hangzhou, China. For the first time in the history of the continental event, the country breached the three-figure mark of medals.
Punjab was the second-most contributor with 33 athletes, including the ones in team events. With eight gold, six silver, and five bronze medals, Punjab accounted for 19 out of the 107 medals for India. This was a record-breaking moment for Punjab with the most gold medals along with the best tally from the state in any edition of the Asian Games.
The 1951 Asian Games (New Delhi) and the 1962 Asian Games (Jakarta) saw Punjab athletes bag a total of seven gold medals in each edition. 15 - the highest medal tally from the North Indian state in 1951 Asian Games was the best record before history was scripted in Hangzhou this year.
Amritsar's Harmanpreet Singh and Moga's Harmanpreet Kaur led the Indian men's hockey and women's cricket teams to gold medals in their respective team events. But let's stress on the achievements of individual players as well.
#3 Harmilan Bains
The middle distance runner won a silver medal in the 1500m and 800m at the Asian Games. She clocked 2:03.75 timing to finish second in 800m, while it took 4 minutes and 12.74 seconds for the Mahilpur-born athlete to finish second in 1500m. She followed the footsteps of her mother Madhuri Singh, who won the silver medal in the 2002 Asian Games in the 800m.
#2 Sift Kaur Samra
Indian shooter Sift Kaur Samra bagged two medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. She won a gold medal in the Women's 50-metre rifle three positions event and set the world record with a score of 469.6.
She bagged her second medal in the Women's 50 metre rifle three positions team event. The 22-year-old athlete got into the sport at the age of nine. She was introduced to the sport by her cousin Sekhon, who is a shotgun shooter.
#1 Tajinder Pal Singh Toor
Tajinder Pal Singh Toor defended his title in the men's shotput at the Asian Games in China. His opening two throws were accounted for fouls, but a 20.36m throw in the sixth and final round fetched him a gold medal. He defeated Mohamed Daouda Tolo from Saudi Arabia to end at the pole position.