Big blow for India! Defending champion Avinash Sable misses out on medal, finishes fourth in 3000m steeplechase

NEW DELHI: India suffered a major disappointment in the athletics competition at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday as defending champion and Games record holder Avinash Sable finished fourth in the men's 3000m steeplechase final, despite producing his season-best performance.Sable clocked 8:21.67 but could not reproduce the performance that had earned him gold at the previous edition. The Indian was unable to keep pace with the leading trio in a tightly contested final and eventually missed the podium.Japan's Ryuji Miura won the gold in a new Games record of 8:17.36, while compatriot Ryoma Aoki claimed silver with a personal best of 8:17.60. Qatar's Zakaria Elahlaami took bronze in 8:18.13.For India, Sable's fourth-place finish was particularly disappointing given his status as the defending champion and the Asian Games record holder in the event. His season-best 8:21.67 underlined his effort on the day, but it was still not enough to extend India's medal run in the men's steeplechase.Sable had emerged as one of India's most reliable athletics medal contenders in recent years, making the failure to finish on the podium a significant setback.Asian Games Full Coverage | Medal Tally | ScheduleVithya Ramraj breaks PT Usha's record, wins bronzeThere was, however, a historic moment for India in the women's 400m hurdles, with Vithya Ramraj producing a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win the bronze medal.The 28-year-old from Coimbatore finished behind UAE's Mariam Kareem, who won gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, and Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems, who took silver in a personal best of 54.58.Ramraj's performance also saw her surpass the more than four-decade-old national record held by legendary Indian athlete PT Usha. Usha had clocked 55.42 seconds at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.Usha, who now heads the Indian Olympic Association, was in attendance at the Games to witness the record being broken.The bronze was Ramraj's second medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after she had earlier won silver in the 4x400m mixed relay. India's Anu Raghavan finished fifth in the final, setting another personal best of 55.88 seconds.Earlier, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Seema Kaliramna also narrowly missed the podium in the women's discus throw final. Her personal-best effort of 59.88m, achieved in her fifth attempt, was not enough, with all three medal winners recording throws beyond 60m.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.