Five disappointing Indian performances at Asian Athletics Championships 2025

The men’s 4x100m relay team’s disqualification was heartbreaking for Indian fans at Asian Athletics Championships.

India produced its second-best medal performance at the recently concluded Asian Athletics Championships 2025, returning with eight golds and overall haul of 24 medals from Gumi, South Korea. The gold count is just second to what India achieved in the 2017 home edition of the Championships, when they clinched 10 golds and won 29 medals in total.

In Gumi, India finished second in the medal tally behind China, who won 32 medals. Of India’s 24 medals, 10 came in silver and 6 in bronze respectively.

While there were several highs for India and some breakthrough performances, there were also athletes who underperformed and fell short of their best. It is said that an athlete’s calibre is often measured by how they perform on the big stage and the likes of 18-year-old Pooja Singh, Gulveer Singh, Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary showed their mettle

However, few Indian athletes failed to rise to the occasion and returned empty handed from the Asian Athletics Championships 2025. On that note, let’s look at five disappointing performances from India’s perspective.

Also Read: India’s top five best performers at Asian Athletics Championships 2025

Five disappointing performances at Asian Athletics Championships 2025

5) Annu Rani

Veteran javelin thrower Annu Rani had another underwhelming outing, finishing just off the podium with a best throw of 58.30m. Annu has been struggling with form, having thrown over 60m only once since 2024.

Her best performance came at the 2023 Asian Games, where she threw 62.92m to win gold despite a poor season. The way Annu performed at the Asian Games despite struggling throughout the season, there were expectations that she would deliver a similar performance at the Asian Athletics Championships, but she failed to replicate the same.

4) Abdulla Aboobacker

The defending champion in men’s triple jump, Abdulla Aboobacker, failed to defend his title after finishing agonizingly fourth at the 2025 edition. Abdulla managed a best jump of 16.72m. Despite having a decent domestic season so far, he failed to win a medal at the Asian Championships.

In the first two outings, he registered a best jump of 17.19m and 16.99m; thus, one expected at least a medal from Abdulla. However, he succumbed to that pressure and failed to replicate his domestic performance at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025.

Also Read: Asian Athletics Championships 2025: Final medal Tally and India’s medal winners

3) Sarvesh Kushare

Last edition’s silver medalist, Sarvesh Kushare, delivered a disappointing performance in Gumi, finishing fifth with a best jump of 2.19m, well below his personal best of 2.27m.

Sarvesh had cleared 2.23m twice in domestic events, it would have given him a bronze medal in Gumi. He also has a season best of 2.26m. He was a clear favourite to win a medal but struggled throughout the competition and eventually failed to reach above 2.19m.

2) Krishan Kumar

Silver medalist at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, Krishan Kumar, finished a disappointing seventh in the 2025 edition. He clocked 1:48.72 in the finals, which was shocking, as he had a personal best of 1:45.88, and he was roughly 3 seconds off his personal best.

1) Men’s 4x100m relay team

The biggest heartbreaking moment for the Indian contingent came when the men’s 4x100m relay team—featuring Manikantha Hoblidhar, Amlan Borgohain, Ragul Kumar, and Pranav Gurav—was disqualified in the heats due to a clumsy baton exchange.

As per TR 24.7, the baton must be exchanged within the designated takeover zone. Unfortunately, the exchange between Ragul and Pranav occurred outside the zone, leading to disqualification.

What made the incident more disappointing is that the combination of Paranv and Ragul was tried before, at the Dubai meet. There was no need to hurry the baton exchange in the heats, especially when timing wasn’t so important. A little more calm and better coordination could’ve made a big difference. Sadly, that mistake cost India a real shot at a medal.

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