Gold for Mayookha Johny in Doha

Long jumper Mayookha Johny fetched India a gold medal while sprinter Dutee Chand settled for bronze despite shattering the national record in 60m dash at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships here.

Mayookha controlled the long jump competition from the very outset and finished on top of the podium with a leap of 6.35m, an effort that propelled her to India’s first Asian indoor title in the event. Bui Thi Thu Thao of Vietnam took silver with a 6.30m jump while Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan finished third with an effort of 6.22m.

“Winning in Doha made me really happy, especially since I’m not used to competing indoors.,” said Mayookha.

Dutee, meanwhile, took the bronze with a time of 7.37 secs. Earlier, she had set a national record while winning her heats in 7.28 secs.

Viktoriya Zyabkina of Kazakhstan overcame a sluggish start to win the final in a championship record of 7.27 secs, well clear of China’s Yuan Qiqi (7.33 secs). Sugandha Kumari bronze in the women’s 1,500m with a time of 4:29.06.