Days before the Asian Games, Tanya Chaudhary has broken a national record in a major endorsement for Indian athletics

File image: Tanya Chaudhary (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian athletics got a big boost just days before the Asian Games when Uttar Pradesh’s Tanya Chaudhary broke the national record in the women’s hammer throw in the Indian Athletics Series final on Thursday.Tanya sent the hammer to a distance of 68.35m, breaking the previous national record of 67.02m set by her state colleague Anushka Yadav in June. Anushka finished second with a best of 66.34m.Both Tanya and Anushka are part of India’s Asian Games squad, making Tanya’s record-breaking performance particularly significant as the Games begin on September 19.Tanya bagged Rs 100,000 for winning the tournament, while Anushka bagged Rs 50,000.

A huge jump from Tanya’s last appearance at the Asian Games

The new national record marks a massive improvement from Tanya’s previous performances at the Asian Games. At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, she finished seventh with a throw of 60.50 m.Her latest performance of 68.35m is also well behind the 64.14m that earned South Korea’s Kim Tae-hui the bronze medal in the hammer throw in Hangzhou.With the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games just a few days away, Tanya’s breakthrough is an encouraging sign for the Indian athletics contingent and could give her a major boost going into the competition.

An expanded athletics team adds to India’s strength

The Indian Athletics Federation had initially named a 77-member athletics squad – 34 men and 43 women – for the 20th Asian Games in Japan. The contingent has since been expanded to 79 athletes.The team includes several Asian and national record holders including Gulveer Singh, Avinash Sable, Sreeshankar M, Ancy Sojan, Praveen Chithravel, Tejaswin Shankar, Rohit Yadav, Annu Rani, Jyothi Yarraji and Priyanka Goswami.The total Asian Games contingent in India has also been expanded to 503 athletes in 36 sports, after the inclusion of surfing.Athletics, which will be without injured javelin star Neeraj Chopra, has the largest support staff among Indian disciplines with 31 members, including 20 coaches led by national coach P Radhakrishnan.Tanya’s national record thus came at an ideal time, giving Indian athletics another timely boost ahead of the Games.