India's triple treat: Toor, Jyothi, Harmilan bag gold at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
Tehran, Feb 17: Ace shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and hurdler Jyothi Yarraji rewrote their national records, while long distance sensation Harmilan Bains sizzled on the track as India grabbed three gold medals on the opening day of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here on Saturday.
Two-time Asian Games gold medallist Toor hurled the shot put at a distance of 19.72 metres in his second attempt for a new national indoor record.
Kazakhstan's Ivanov Ivan (19.08m) and Iran's Mehdi Saberi (18.74m) took the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Earlier, Jyothi Yarraji marginally bettered her own national record by clocking 8.12s in the women's 60m hurdles to win the gold.
The 2022 Asian Games silver medallist in the 100m hurdles had the previous best timing of 8:13s at the same event last year which had earned her a runner-up finish.
The 24-year-old athlete topped her heat with a timing of 8:22s and in the final she did better to finish ahead of Japan's Asuka Tereda (8.21s).
Lui Lai Yiu of Hong Kong (8:26s) took the third place on the podium.
Jyothi is the reigning Asian Outdoor champion in the 100m hurdles, having won the title in Bangkok last year.
She had returned with a silver in the 100m hurdles from Hangzhou Asian Games after initially being disqualified.
Asian Games silver medallist Harmilan Bains blazed the track with a timing of 4:29.55 seconds to bag India's first gold of the day in the women's 1500m.
Harmilan exhibited sheer dominance, finishing over five seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Kyrgyzstan's Kalil Kyzy Ainuska, who clinched the silver medal with a time of 4:35.29.
The third position was claimed by Kazakhstan's Bolatbekkyzy Aiana, crossing the finish line in 4:37.20.
She finished more than five seconds ahead of Kyrgyzstan's Kalil Kyzy Ainuska who bagged the silver with a timing of 4:35.29. Kazakhstan's Bolatbekkyzy Aiana came third clocking 4:37.20.
Shaili Singh and Nayana James also competed in the women's long jump final in the morning session, but failed to get podium positions, registering distances of 6.27m and 6.23m for fifth and sixth place finishes respectively.
Shiqi Xiong (6.55m) and Tan Mengyi (6.50m) of China had the gold-silver, while Hong Kong's Yue Nga Yan (6.35m) bagged the bronze.
Toor was the only Indian athlete to finish on top of the podium at last year's meet in Astana where the country had won a total of eight medals including six silver and one bronze.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Looking forward to meet PM Netanyahu, consolidate enduring bonds: PM Modi ahead of Israel visit
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and Israel share a robust and multifaceted strategic partnership that has witnessed remarkable growth and dynamism, and he is looking forward to his discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The prime minister is due to leave for Israel on on Wednesday on a two-day visit.
Before embarking, Modi said he was confident that his visit would further consolidate the "enduring bonds" between India and Israel, set new goals for the strategic partnership, and advance the countries' shared vision for a resilient, innovative, and prosperous future.
ALSO READ: Hope PM Modi mentions genocide in Gaza while addressing Knesset: Priyanka
Modi said the visit comes at the invitation of his "dear friend Prime Minister Netanyahu."
"I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed at further strengthening our cooperation across various domains, including science and technology, innovation, agriculture, water management... defence and security, trade and investment, as well as people-to-people ties," he said in his departure statement.
The prime minister said the two leaders will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
During the visit, Modi will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
"I will also have the honour of becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, an occasion that would be a tribute to the strong parliamentary and democratic ties that bind our two nations," he said.
Modi said he is looking forward to interacting with the members of the Indian diaspora who have long been nurturing the India-Israel friendship.
