Asian Games: Ancy Sojan misses out on long jump gold by 2cm, Shaili Singh loses bronze on last attempt

India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly during the women’s long jump final. (AP photo) NEW DELHI: Ancy Sojan came agonizingly close to giving India its first athletics gold at the 2026 Asian Games but had to settle for silver after China’s Yingying Huang produced a decisive final jump in the women’s long jump in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on Sunday. A medal also eluded Shaila Singh, who finished fourth after China’s Mengyi Tan edged her out with her last attempt.Ancy took the lead with a jump of 6.53m on her fifth attempt, but Huang responded with 6.55m in the final round to take the gold by just two centimeters. Ancy’s final performance was 6.49m.Shaili, meanwhile, sat third with 6.42m after five attempts. But Tan cleared 6.46m in her final jump to move to the bronze medal and move the Indian to fourth place.Ancy’s silver took Indian athletics to 10 medals – five silver and five bronze – as the country continued to wait for its first gold in athletics. India’s total medal tally was 34, including four gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule

Huang’s last jump denies Ancy the gold

Ancy started strongly, opening with a jump of 6.49m to establish herself among the medal contenders. Huang cleared that distance in her fifth attempt, creating a tight battle between the two.The Indian then raised the bar in the fifth round with an effort of 6.53m and took the lead. With the gold within reach, Ancy had to hold out until the last attempts.Huang had other plans. The Chinese jumper cleared 6.55m on her last attempt, overtaking Ancy and securing the title. Ancy was unable to improve on her lead, clearing 6.49m on her final jump to finish just short of gold.For Shaili, the final round brought a similarly painful twist. Her 6.42m placed her in third place after five attempts, but Tan’s effort of 6.46m pushed her off the podium.

Shaili Singh of India (AP photo)

Harita is bronzed earlier in the day

Earlier on Sunday, Harita Bhadra won bronze in the women’s 200m after beating Japan’s Abigeirufuka Ido in a photo finish. Harita clocked 23.20 seconds, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ida’s 23.21 seconds.Indonesia’s Shanti Pereira won gold in 22.78s while China’s 100m champion Yujie Chen took silver in 22.93s. The other Indian in the final, Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland, finished sixth in 23.46s.Other events still offer medal chances: India remained in contention for another athletics medal on Sunday. Tejaswin Shankar placed third in the decathlon with the final event remaining, while Sarvesh Kushare led the high jump order.