Reliance Foundation supported athletes dazzle at Asian Games 2022, secure 12 medals
~Lovlina Borgohain and Kishore Kumar Jena secured tickets to the Paris Olympics 2024, while others won big in the continental multi-sport event~
India finished in fourth position on the Asian Games medal table with its best-ever medal tally of 107 medals. Out of this record haul, 12 medals were won by the Reliance Foundation-supported athletes, who made a significant contribution to the nation’s success. #LehraDoTeamIndia.
Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, commented on India’s mammoth success at the continental event. “Congratulations Team India, for making our country proud at the Asian Games! Your historic tally of over 100 medals is a shining example of the power of India’s youth.”
“We are also proud of our Reliance Foundation athletes for winning 12 medals at the Games. A special shout out to Kishore Jena, Jyothi Yarraji, Palak Gulia, the 17-year-old teen phenomenon, and many more, for their outstanding performance. At Reliance Foundation, we remain committed to supporting our young athletes and fostering and nurturing talent in sports.” (Download and watch the video here. Courtesy Reliance Foundation)
Lovlina Borgohain and Kishore Jena punch Paris Olympics tickets
Lovlina Borgohain, a Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist in boxing, clinched a silver medal in the Women’s 75kg category, earning her a spot at the Paris Olympics in 2024. She became the second Indian female boxer to reach the gold medal bout at the Asian Games.
Kishore Jena’s remarkable javelin throw of 87.54 meters earned him a silver medal, solidifying his position as India’s second-best javelin thrower after Neeraj Chopra. Remarkably, Jena has improved his personal best seven times in 2023. His personal best was 78.05m before this year.
Teen phenom Palak Gulia 1st Indian woman to win gold in the 10m air pistol event: :Young shooting prodigy Palak Gulia achieved a historic double by winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event and securing a silver medal as part of the 10m air pistol women’s team. She became the youngest Indian shooter to medal in this edition and the first Indian woman ever to win gold in the 10m air pistol individual event.
RF athletes light up the track- as India’s 25-year wait for a 10,000m medal came to an end:
India completely dominated the athletics events in this Asiad with 29 medals comprising six golds, 14 silvers, and nine bronzes – which is India’s best-ever tally since the inaugural edition in 1951 in athletics. Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh ended India’s 25-year medal drought in the Men’s 10,000m event with a remarkable 2-3 finish, both setting new personal bests. These were India’s first medals in the event after Gulab Chand’s bronze at the 1998 Bangkok Asiad. Both athletes also etched new personal bests in a scintillating display.
Jyothi Yarraji displayed exceptional resilience by winning a silver medal in the Women’s 100m hurdles, overcoming the challenges of a false start claim to secure India’s first-ever medal in this event.
Mohammad Afsal secured a silver medal in the Men’s 800m, while Jinson Johnson returned to winning ways with a bronze in the Men’s 1500m event, becoming the first Indian male athlete to medal in multiple editions of the Asian Games in the 1500m event.
Contributions to team events
Additionally, Dhruv Kapila in badminton and Simranjeet Kaur in archery contributed significantly to their respective team events, with India winning its first-ever silver in men’s badminton and securing a bronze in women’s recurve archery. Tushar Shelke, was also a part of the men’s recurve team that won silver after beating Bangladesh in the semi-finals.