DEHRADUN, Feb 12:
Three Games records tumbled in a befitting end to the track and field competitions as the formidable Services poised to top the medal tally for the fifth time in six editions of the National Games, here today.
Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, 18-year-old high jumper Pooja Singh of Haryana and long distance runner Sawan Barwal of Himachal Pradesh rewrote National Games records en route winning gold medals.
In the absence of the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena, 25-year-old Yadav sent his spear to a Games-record distance of 84.39m in his fifth attempt to win the gold and establish himself as one of the top javelin throwers in the country. He bettered the earlier Games record of 82.23m set by Rajinder Singh in the 2015 edition.
Yadav’s 84.39m now ranks as the fifth career-best throw by an Indian after Chopra (89.94m), Jena (87.54m), Shivpal Singh (86.23m) and Davinder Singh Kang (84.57m).
It was Yadav’s fourth 80m-plus throw, having joined the elite club in 2023 with a 80.27m during the Federation Cup.
Daughter of a mason from Fatehbad district of Haryana, Pooja cleared 1.84m to defend the women’s high jump gold she had won in the 2023 edition, bettering the earlier Games record of 1.83m set by Swapna Barman of West Bengal in the 2022 edition of the Games.
Pooja, who has a personal best of 1.85m — a national U20 record — which she had produced last year, used to train on makeshift high jump pit made up of sacks of hay when she started the sport.
She won a silver medal at the Asian U20 Championships in 2023, a gold in the Asian U18 Championships the same year and finished sixth at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
Barwal won the men’s 5000m in a time of 13 minute and 45.93 seconds, bettering the earlier Games record of 13:50.05s set by G Lakshmanan of Services in the 2015 edition. It was his second gold and second Games record in this edition.
He had clinched the men’s 10,000m title on Saturday with a Games record time of 28:49.93s, bettering the earlier mark of 28:54.29s set by Gulveer Singh in the 2022 edition in Gujarat.
The 26-year-old Barwal was a bronze medal winner at the 2023 Asian Half Marathon race. He also won the 2024 Delhi Half Marathon title among the Indians.
Services added 15 medals, including 11 gold, on Wednesday to accumulate 65 gold, 24 silver and 23 bronze for a total haul of 112, and to virtually occupy an unassailable top position with just one competition day left in the Games. (PTI)
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