By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Just one day after winning silver in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Parul Chaudhary has now won gold in the women’s 5000m competition.
Parul Chaudhary won the women’s 5000m in a dramatic fashion to become the third track and field athlete from India to win gold at the 2023 Asian Games. Prior to separating from the rest of the field with Japan’s Ririka Hironaka in front of her, Parul hung back for the majority of the race.
Up until the final few meters, Parul lagged behind Hironaka, but she suddenly surged ahead to win the gold. The 28-year-old has added to her silver medal from the women’s steeplechase over 3000 meters. On Tuesday, Parul had a time of 15:14.75. Hironaka finished with a time of 15:15.34, while Caroline Kipkirui of Kazakhstan took third place with a time of 15:23.12, which is a season-best. The other Indian competitor, Ankita, came in sixth with a time of 15:33.03, a personal best.
For Parul, the gold medal brings to an end a remarkable year in which she took home two medals from the Asian Athletics Championships. In Bangkok, she took first place in the 5000-meter race and second place in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She won medals in the same two events at the Asian Games, but the medals were switched.
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In the women’s 3000m steeplechase final on Monday, Parul was essentially the only competitor who could keep up with Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi before the latter drew away. In contrast to what happened with her 5000m gold on Tuesday, Parul had opened a good lead over the rest of the pack and easily won silver. Parul set a new personal best in the 3000m steeplechase with a timing of 9:27.63.
In addition to the medals won by the winner of the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable, and shotputter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Parul’s gold is India’s third track and field victory at the 2023 Asian Games. Sable broke the Games record while Toor successfully defended his Asian Games gold medal.