Asian Games 2026: Ancy Sojan retains silver in women's long jump; Shaili Singh fourth after dramatic finish
(Courtesy :Â @afiindia/Twitter)
Sojan was denied gold by a late Chinese surge while Shaili Singh narrowly missed the podium
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Ancy Sojan settled for a silver-medal finish after looking set for gold for all but the final few minutes of the women’s long jump final at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday.
The 25-year-old finished second with a best effort of 6.53m while compatriot Shaili Singh, who similarly looked set for a bronze-medal finish, ended fourth after a dramatic finish that completely changed the leaderboard at the top.
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Ancy produced her best effort of 6.53m on her fifth attempt and looked set for gold for much of the competition. However, China’s Huang Yingying produced a 6.55m jump in the final attempt to move past the Indian and claim the top spot.
China’s Tan Mengyi also leapt 6.46m in her final attempt, pushing Shaili out of the bronze-medal position.
Ancy had opened the competition with a 6.49m effort before improving to 6.53m in her fifth attempt. She finished just 0.02m behind Huang, who managed 6.55m with her final jump. Ancy’s final attempt measured 6.49m, leaving her with silver.
For Ancy, the medal adds to an excellent year in which she broke the long-standing Indian women’s long jump national record. She jumped 6.88m at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in June to surpass Anju Bobby George’s 6.83m mark, which had stood since 2004.
The silver is also Ancy’s second consecutive medal at the Asian Games. She had won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Games with a 6.63m effort.
Also Read: Sarvesh Kushare wins India’s first high jump medal after 56 years
Shaili, meanwhile, had a consistent final but narrowly missed out on a medal. She started with 6.25m and improved her mark progressively, recording 6.34m, 6.41m and finally 6.42m as her best effort.
She remained in the bronze-medal position until Tan’s final-round 6.46m leap moved her into third.
Shaili’s fourth-place finish comes after she had won the Indian Athletics Series final earlier this month, where she jumped 6.65m. Her personal best stands at 6.76m.
India therefore missed out on a double podium despite having two athletes among the leading contenders throughout the final. Ancy’s silver, however, adds another athletics medal to India’s growing tally at the Asian Games 2026.
Why was Ancy Sojan denied the gold medal in women’s long jump at Asian Games 2026?
Sojan was favourite for the gold medal, after leading the women’s long jump final for most of it, first with a best effort of 6.49m and then improving to 6.53m in her fifth attempt. However, China’s Yingying Huang leapfrogged her to the gold medal with a 6.55m jump in her final attempt, leaving Sojan with the silver medal.
Who won gold in women’s long jump final at Asian Games 2026?
The gold was won by China’s Yingying Huang, who produced a 6.55m jump in her final attempt to leapfrog Ancy Sojan, who had led for most of the final, to the gold medal.
Where did Shaili Singh finish in the women’s long jump final at Asian Games 2026?
Shaili finished a heartbreaking fourth in the women’s long jump final after climbing to the bronze medal place with her best effort of 6.42m. Like Ancy, she also looked set for the bronze medal, before another Chinese Mengyi Tan produced a 6.46m leap in her final attempt to finish third.
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