Chopra lives up to star billing as three doping cases rattle Games

India’s Neeraj Chopra competes in the men’s javelin throw final of the Asian Games on Wednesday.—AFP

HANGZHOU: World and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra conjured up a mammoth throw to win javelin gold in style at the Asian Games on Wednesday, as three failed doping tests rattled the event in Hangzhou in 24 hours.

Chopra’s successful defence of his crown sealed a memorable day for India, their 81 medals in total their best in Games history and with four days still to go.

Chopra was under pressure after teammate Kishore Kumar Jena produced a huge personal best of 86.77 metres, which he would later improve to 87.54m and eventual silver.

But Chopra responded with a season-best 88.88m — longer than the 88.17m that won him the world title at Budapest in August and the 87.58m that earned gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He was delighted though for his compatriot.

“I was feeling great for him. We hugged each other as we both won medals for India,” said Chopra, whose job was made easier after his chief rival, Pakistan ace Arshad Nadeem, pulled out on Tuesday with a knee injury. “We have to push ourselves as well as each other. I had a feeling that I would have a good day today.”

Olympic high-jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim was another hot favourite who did not disappoint, clearing a new Games record 2.35m for his third Asian Games gold.

“We are very greedy as athletes and always want more, more, more,” said the Qatari. “That’s the nature of it and I love it.”

With four more days of competition to come, India smashed their previous Games record of 70 at Jakarta five years ago.

Their athletes medalled in six out of eight of track and field titles on Wednesday, including a dominant win in the men’s 4x400m relay ahead of runners-up Qatar.

Archers Ojas Pravin Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam took the record 71st medal by winning the mixed team compound event, triggering congratulations from India Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We are celebrating our best-ever medal tally, a testament to the unparalleled dedication, grit and sporting spirit of our athletes,” Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

India’s medal-laden day started when they defeated archery powerhouses South Korea.

South Korea dominated the sport at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, snaring four of the five golds.

But the Koreans were no match for India in the gold-medal match of the mixed-team compound event, the Indian duo of Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam squeezing to victory 159-158.

The rising Asian power has work to do to catch China, though, with the hosts having sailed past 300 medals and won more than 170 golds.

China’s Li Qian, runner-up in women’s middleweight boxing at the Tokyo Olympics, beat India’s world champion Lovlina Borgohain for the 66-75kg division title.

Li turned the tables on Borgohain who beat the Chinese boxer in the semi-finals on the way to the middleweight world championship in March.

North Korea won their fifth weightlifting gold in Hangzhou — and the country’s ninth overall — when Ri Chong Song finished streets ahead of the field in the men’s 81kg division.

Ri sealed gold with a 364kg total, then failed with two world record clean and jerk attempts at 210kg.

Hong Kong’s Yang Qianyu streaked to gold in the women’s cycling road race, on what she said later was her last Asian Games.

Yang sniffled and fought back tears on the podium. “Today I feel like my life is complete,” said the 30-year-old.

China have enjoyed a hugely successful Games on home soil, capturing 171 golds and counting, but they suffered a rare setback in the men’s basketball semi-finals.

The Philippines fought back at the death to triumph 77-76 — and leave the watching Chinese basketball star Yao Ming looking disgusted.

China completed a sweep of the race walking events, picking up gold in the mixed team 35km early on Wednesday, having already dominated the men’s and women’s individual events.

Myanmar claimed their first gold of the Games, beating Indonesia for the men’s quadrant title in sepaktakraw, the traditional kick volleyball sport popular in Southeast Asia.

Four-times Asian Cup champions Japan ended Hong Kong’s dream run in the football semi-finals with a thumping 4-0 win and will face South Korea, who beat Uzbekistan 2-1, for the gold.

Test-playing nation Bangladesh had a huge scare in the cricket quarter-finals against Malaysia but a death bowling masterclass by all-rounder Afif Hossain secured a two-run win in the T20 match.

Malaysia needed five runs from the last over but Hossain, who took three wickets, conceded only two, ensuring Bangladesh will meet Games debutants India in the semi-finals.

Afghanistan, who knocked Sri Lanka out with an eight-run win, will meet Pakistan in the other semi-final.

Four athletes at the Games have now failed drugs tests, with three announced in just the last 24 hours.

Uzbek cyclist Aleksey Fomovskiy and Philippine mountain-bike rider Ariana Evangelista were the latest two, said the International Testing Agency, which handles some aspects of doping control at the Games.

Saudi distance runner Mohammed Yousef Alasiri and Afghan boxer Mohammad Khaibar Nooristani also tested positive for banned performance-enhancing substances.

All four have been provisionally suspended and have the right to request the analysis of their B sample.

It typically takes several days for a failed test to come through, meaning more are likely in the coming days.

In the background, a power struggle for control of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which runs the Games, overshadowed the event.

Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah lodged a case against the global International Olympic Committee at the Court of Arbitration for Sport following his ban for “influencing” the election of his brother to the OCA presidency in July.

Medals Table

(Tabulated under gold, silver, bronze, total):

China 171 94 51 316

Japan 37 51 59 147

South Korea 33 45 70 148

India 18 31 32 81

Uzbekistan 1 6 16 22 54

Chinese Taipei 12 14 20 46

Thailand 10 12 24 46

North Korea 9 11 8 28

Bahrain 9 1 5 15

Hong Kong 7 15 28 50