Asian Games 2023: India Makes History With Bronze Medal In Roller Skating Relays
Indian speed skating relay teams, both men's and women's, achieved bronze medals in the roller skating events at the Asian Games 2023 on Monday.
In the women's relay, the Indian trio of Karthika Jagadeeswaran , Heeral Sadhu , and Aarathy Kasturi Raj secured third place on the podium with a time of 4:34.861. They finished behind Chinese Taipei (4:19.447) and the Republic of Korea (4:21.146). Sanjana Bathula was part of the Indian team but did not compete. Iran and Thailand rounded up the field, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
The men's relay saw the trio of Vikram Rajendra Ingale, Siddhant Rahul Kamble , and Anandkumar Velkumar representing India . Aryanpal Singh Ghuman was a team member but did not participate. After finishing second in heat 2 with a time of 4:15.126, the Indian team clocked 4:10.128 in the medal race, securing the third position. Chinese Taipei (4:05.692) won the gold in the men's relay, narrowly defeating South Korea (4:05.702) in a thrilling photo-finish.
These two medals marked India's entry into the roller skating medals tally at the Asian Games 2023. Notably, these were India's first roller skating medals at the continental showpiece since Guangzhou 2010. Anup Kumar Yama had secured a bronze in the men's singles free skating event and another third-place finish with compatriot Avani Panchal in the pairs skating competition during that edition.
In earlier events, Aarthy Kasturi Raj finished fifth in the women's speed skating 10,000m point-elimination race, while Heerak Sadhu was eliminated. In the men's speed skating 10,000m point-elimination race, Anandkumar Velkumar and Siddhant Rahul Kamble secured sixth and seventh positions, respectively. Vikram Rajendra Ingale narrowly missed a podium spot in the men's speed skating 1,000m sprint event, finishing fourth, while Aryanpal Singh Ghuman finished seventh in the same event. In the women's speed skating 1,000m sprint, Karthika Jagadeeswaran finished fifth.