Asian Games 2023: Ancy Sojan wins silver in women's long jump, Shaili Singh finishes fifth

This was Sojan's maiden medal at the Asiad.

Edappilly Ancy Sojan of India won a silver medal in the women’s long jump event at the Asian Games 2023. With a best jump of 6.63m, in the fifth round, Ancy cemented her position in the podium. Along with Ancy Sojan, India’s Shaili Singh was also a part of the women’s long jump final. She finished a disappointing fifth.

Ancy began her campaign cautiously, achieving a distance of 6.13m in the first round. Meanwhile, Shaili started with a more impressive jump of 6.38m. In the subsequent round, Ancy surpassed Shaili with a jump of 6.49m, while Shaili's second attempt fell short at 6.34m, trailing behind her initial jump. At the end of the second round, Ancy and Shaili were placed in third and fourth place respectively.

After the completion of the third round, Ancy secured second place by achieving a commendable jump of 6.56m, which was also her personal best. However, on the other hand, Shaili's performance was subpar with a jump of 6.38m, considerably lower than the first jump.

Meanwhile, China's Xiong Shiqi took the lead with a remarkable personal best jump of 6.73m, while Hong Kong's Yue Nga Yan secured the third position with a jump of 6.50m after the third round.

Both Indian athletes did not achieve noteworthy results in the fourth round. Ancy's jump measured 6.30m, while Shaili's jump measured 6.31m, both falling short of their best performances of the evening.

In the fifth round, both athletes displayed notable performances. Shaili achieved her best jump of the evening with 6.48m, while Ancy surpassed her previous personal best by recording a jump of 6.63m. However, despite their commendable efforts, the standings remained unchanged, with Ancy holding onto the second position and Shaili trailing behind in fifth place.

In the final round, Shaili could only produce a jump of 6.23m and remained at the fifth position and Ancy settled for second with a silver medal to her name.

China’s Xiong Shiqi clinched the prestigious gold medal with an impressive jump of 6.73m, while Hong Kong’s Nga Yan Yue secured a well-deserved bronze medal with a jump measuring 6.50 meters.