Asian Games 2018: Probable Medals for India Today, 30th August 2018
The Indian contingent at the 2018 Asian Games underway in the cities of Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia had a decent outing on the medals front as they landed with four podium finishes (two Gold Medals, one Silver Medal, and one Bronze Medal) and took the total medals tally of the country to 54.
This puts India on the ninth spot in the overall medal tally as China leads the pack with a massive gap over every other nation.
Athletics was again the major source of glory for India with three out of the four medals coming from track and field events.
Dutee Chand got her second silver medal at the Asian Games as she completed an excellent 100m - 200m double medal haul when she finished second in the final with a timing of 23.2 seconds.
An Indian sprinter won a 200m medal at the Asian Games after a 16-year gap after Saraswati Saha had won the gold medal at the 2002 Busan Games.
A major highlight of the day was the feat of Arpinder Singh who clinched the top podium finish in the Men's Triple Jump event with a jump of 16.77 metres. He became the first Indian to win a triple jump medal after Mohinder Singh Gill had won at the 1972 Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The second gold medal of the day for India in athletics was won by heptathlete Swapna Barman who finished atop the heptathlon standings with a total of 6026 points.
She finished the best in High Jump and Javelin Throw and was at the second position in Shot Put and Long Jump. This gold medal was the fifth gold overall for India in athletics at the 2018 Asian Games.
Another historic medal was won by India in the Table Tennis mixed doubles event as the pairing of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra secured the bronze medal after their loss in the semifinals against the Chinese pairing of Chuqin Wang and Sun Yingsha in five sets (4-1).
On top of these medals, the day was rounded up with another medal secured for the Indian contingent as the Women's hockey team overcame a stiff challenge from the Chinese women as they won 1-0 in the Women's Hockey semifinal.
A late goal from Gurjit Kaur clinched the tie for India as the two teams fought tooth and nails for a place in the gold medal match. India will take on the women from Japan in the final to be held on 31st August.
Now, we take a look at some of the athletes who will be in contention for potential podium finishes on Day 12 of the 2018 Asian Games.
Seema Punia - Women's Discus Throw - Athletics
Veteran Indian athlete Seema Punia will be in the running to add another medal to her already stacked collection as she takes to the field for the Women's Discus Throw today.
Seema is a four-time Commonwealth Games medalist with three silver medals and a bronze medal and has represented the nation at three Olympic Games (Athens 2004, London 2012 and Rio 2016).
She will be the defending champion heading into the event as she had won the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games with a throw of 61.03 metres. Seema will be a top contender to grab another medal finish for India in athletics.
Govindan Lakshmanan - Men's 5000 m - Athletics
Govindan Lakshmanan was highly unfortunate to have lost out on a bronze medal in the Men's 10000 m event after he was disqualified for track lane infringement.
He will hope to put aside that disappointment and come out all guns blazing in the Men's 5000 m run. Lakshmanan is the current Asian Champion in the 5000 m run after he had won the gold medal at the Asian Championships in Bhubaneshwar, India.
Manjit Singh - Men's 1500 m - Athletics
The surprise package in the Men's 800 m event, Manjit Singh became the apple of the country's eye when his burst of speed at the final stretch in the 800 m final clinched him the gold medal.
He finished ahead of fellow countryman Jinson Johnson as they ended up with the Indian 1-2 finish on the podium.
Singh will be in high spirits after his gold medal and will be hoping to add another one to his collection when he steps on the track today in the 1500 metres event.
Indian Hockey Team - Men's Semifinals - Hockey
The Indian hockey team has been in supreme form at the 2018 Asian Games with huge margins of victories over all but one of their opponents in the preliminary round of the Men's hockey competition.
They created a world record when they defeated Hong Kong, China with a massive 26-0 margin as thirteen Indian players got their name on the scoresheet.
They will take on the Malaysian side in the semifinals and will hope to assure a medal finish with a win and considering the form they have been in, there are strong chances of a win for Harendra Singh's team.
Which of these probables do you think will end up with the gold on the podium? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.