How Ilango silenced talks of marriage after Asian Games
Asha Ilango turns Asian Games heartbreak into record-breaking national gold
Bharatmorningnews.com – Asha Ilango responded to one of the narrowest disappointments of her career by producing a meet-record performance at the National Open Athletics Championships, winning the women’s triple jump gold with 13.89m.
The 27-year-old from Madurai had come agonisingly close to an Asian Games medal in Aichi-Nagoya. Her best jump of 13.83m matched China’s Li Yi, but Li secured bronze through the countback rule because her next-best mark, 13.79m, was superior to Ilango’s 13.65m.
That result left Ilango devastated, particularly after years of effort and injury setbacks. Yet her performance at the National Open offered a swift reminder that she is progressing in the event.
“It feels so good to break the meet record here. It shows that I can do much better.”
Ilango’s winning mark improved on the previous championship record of 13.78m, set by Mayookha Johny in 2015. Johny remains the holder of India’s national record at 14.11m.
A difficult near-miss becomes fresh motivation
The Asian Games outcome was especially painful because the medal was decided by such small margins. Ilango had fought her way back from an ankle injury that kept her out for four months last year, then qualified for the Asian Games and found herself level with a medallist in the final standings.
“It was so close, just centimetres. That’s how tough sport is. I have been putting so much effort into the triple jump for 10 years, and only now have I started getting results, since last year. There have been several injuries. I had an ankle injury last year and was sidelined for four months.”
“I came back and qualified for the Asian Games, and to come so close to a medal and not have it was very tough. I could not sleep for days,”
Rather than stepping away after that setback, Ilango entered the National Open and converted frustration into a championship-winning effort. Her 13.89m leap underlined the value of maintaining competitive momentum after a major event, while also putting her closer to the domestic benchmark in the discipline.
Family perspective changes after Asian Games campaign
For Ilango, the Asian Games journey also altered conversations at home. She said family members had frequently raised the subject of marriage during difficult phases, particularly when injury or poor form interrupted her athletics career.
“My parents, everyone in the family and the elders, would always talk about marriage. Whenever I was injured or not performing well, the topic would be that I should get married. I was fed up. I asked them to give me six months and said I would return with a medal from the Asian Games. Though I lost the medal and it was tough, they are not bothering me now. They are encouraging me to continue,”
Although the Asian Games medal did not materialise, the campaign and the national title appear to have strengthened her family’s support for her sporting ambitions. For an athlete who has spent a decade in the triple jump, that encouragement comes at a significant stage of her development.
Shaili Singh makes successful triple-jump debut
The event also featured an encouraging debut from long jumper Shaili Singh, who claimed bronze with 13.31m. Bhairabi Roy took silver after reaching 13.36m.
Shaili is primarily known for the long jump and finished fourth at the Asian Games, where she was in contention for a medal at one stage. She had been unhappy with the measurement of her fourth attempt, recorded at 6.42m, but has now added another event to her competitive programme.
“It was surprising that I won a medal on debut. I wanted to try out the triple jump and it was very exciting. I enjoyed myself. Going forward, long jump will continue to be my priority, but I will also keep doing triple jump,”
Her coach said the experiment had been building in training and could continue at next year’s National Games.
“She has been doing triple jump in training, so we thought, let’s try it out in competition. She is light and her physique will suit triple jump. We want to try it at the National Games as well next year and see how she progresses. Having two events will keep her interested as well,”
National Open winners across field events
Elsewhere, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Seema Kaliramna won the women’s discus title with 57.63m. Nikita Kumar finished second at 52.48m. Kaliramna had thrown a personal best of 59.88m at the Asian Games but placed fourth there.
In the men’s hammer, Delhi athlete Nirbhay Chaudhary earned gold with 69.42m. He had set a national record of 71.02m at a meet at the same venue a month earlier. Praveen Kumar took silver with 67.37m, while Ashish Jakhar completed the podium with 66.86m.
Kuldeep Kumar won the men’s pole vault after clearing 5.30m. Regan G was second with 5.25m and Rambeer third with 5.10m. Kuldeep’s personal best stands at 5.45m.
Dev Meena, another Madhya Pradesh vaulter, did not compete after a long campaign in which he broke the national record multiple times. At the Asian Games, he cleared 5.50m and finished seventh in Aichi-Nagoya.
Coach Ghanshyam Yadav said the upcoming off-season would focus on speed and explosive power for both Dev and Kuldeep before the next competitive cycle.
“We are going into the off-season now, where we will work on their speed and explosive strength and come back with better performances next season,”
“The target is to qualify for the LA Olympics, and for that we have to keep pushing the bar,”
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