Asian Games: Creating history, Takhar wins rowing gold

Guangzhou, Nov 19 (IBNS) Rower Bajrang Lal Takhar on Friday opened a new leaf for India ’s sporting history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold in the Asian Games ’ men’s singles sculls competition in China. Placed on lane 3, the Army officer, who had won the silver at Doha Asiad four years ago, led from the start and went on to cruise past his rivals and win the 2000m race clocking 7:04.78. He added another Gold medal for India after cueist Pankaj Advani in squash singles championship. Chinese Taipei’s Wang Ming Hui (7:07.33) took the silver while Iraq ’s Haeider Hamarasheid (7:10.10) won the bronze. Takhar had also bagged a gold medal at the Asian Championships in Korea, 2009. Takhar’s yellow medal came a day after India’s rowers had won two silver medals. Anil Kumar, Saji Thomas, Ranjit Singh and Jenil Krishnan won silver in the men ’s rowing Four while the the quartet of Lokesh Kumar, Manjeet Singh, Rajesh Kumar Yadav and Satish Joshi won silver in men ’s lightweight Four event. India’s Pratima Puhana and Pramila Prava Minz also created history by winning the bronze medal in the women ’s pair rowing event. They became the first women rowers to win a medal for India in the Asian Games. The Indian girls clocked 7:47.50 secs to finish third behind winners China and Kazakshtan. Chinese duo Sun Zhengping and Ling Hong clocked 7:22.06 secs for the gold and Kazakh girls Oxana Nazarova and Svetlana Germanovich had a timing of 7:35.13 secs. Indian rowers have won a total of gold, three silver and one bronze medal from the Interbational Rowing Center.

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