Khushbir Kaur with the Tricolour after claiming silver in the 20km race walk, on Sunday. (PTI)

Incheon: Star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt notched up India’s fourth gold medal, while Khushbir Kaur became the first woman from the country to win a medal in 20km Race Walking by clinching a silver as India shot up to ninth in overall standings, on the ninth day of competitions, in the 17th Asian Games, on Sunday.

Besides, tennis players accounted for three bronze medals through Yuki Bhambri (men’s singles and men’s doubles with Divij Sharan) and Sania Mirza and Prarthana Thombare (women’s doubles).

MR Poovamma and Rajiv Arokia won a bronze each in men’s and women’s 400m race respectively, while Manju Bala added another medal of the same hue in women’s hammer throw.

With the addition of eight more medals on Sunday, India are placed ninth in the table with a collection of four gold medals, five silver medals and 26 bronze medals. China continued to maintain their supremacy with a tally of 216 (105-63-48), followed by South Korea (42-48-47) and Japan (34-46-46).

Four medals from athletics

Indian track and field athletes put behind the disappointment of denying an additional medal in women’s 3000m steeplechase event as they picked up one silver and three bronze medals on the second day of athletics competitions.

Woman race walker Khushbir Kaur clinched the silver medal in the 20km walk before 400m runners Rajiv Arokia and MR Poovamma grabbed a bronze each in men’s and women’s 400m race. Manju Bala secured a bronze in women’s hammer throw to add to the growing medals tally from track and field events.

On Saturday, Lalita Babar had won a bronze in the controversy-ridden women’s 3000m steeplechase event to open the medal count for the country.

Arokia bagged the surprise bronze with a personal best timing. Arokia clocked a creditable 45.92secs to better his earlier best of 46.13secs, which he clocked at the National Inter-State Championships, in Lucknow, in June.

Khushbir became the first Indian woman to win a medal in race walking in the Asian Games. The 21-year-old from Amritsar clocked 1:33:07 to finish behind Lu Xiuzhi of China, who won the gold in 1:31:06, at the Marathon Course here.

Myneni’s double chance

Saketh Myneni got himself in line for two gold medals by reaching the finals of both men’s doubles and mixed doubles events even as other Indian tennis players, including Sania, clinched three bronze medals on Sunday. Saketh and Sanam Singh overcame experienced Thai twins Sanchai and Sonchat Ratiwatana 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 in the men’s doubles semi-finals.

Later in the day, the big-serving Myneni combined with seasoned doubles exponent Sania to reach the mixed doubles summit clash with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win over Chinese pair of Zie Zheng and Ze Zhang.

Earlier, Sania and Prarthana Thombare settled for a bronze, losing the women’s doubles semis 6-7 (1), 6-2, 10-4 to Chinese Taipei’s Chin Wei Chan and Su Wei Hsieh.

Yuki Bhambri clinched India’s lone singles’ medal in this edition, after settling for a bronze in the men’s event following a 6-3, 2-6, 1-6 loss to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the semi-finals.

Yuki won another bronze medal for India when he and Divij Sharan, seeded fourth, lost 7-6 (6), 6-7 (6), 9-11 to Korean pair of Lim Yongkyu and Chung Hyeonas.

Mixed day in wrestling

Yogeshwar was star performer of the day as he bettered his 2006 edition bronze in style with a couple of splendid bouts. In the summit clash, Yogeshwar defeated Zalimkhan Yusupov of Tajikistan to pick up the gold.

However, both Satywart Kadian and Babita Kumari lost out on third-place finishes as they went down in men’s 97kg freestyle and women’s 55kg freestyle.

Satywart was beaten comprehensively by Mamed Ibragimov of Kazakhstan 0-3 in the bronze-medal match.

In the last-four stage, Babita had an uphill task as she faced the 15-time world champion Saori Yoshida of Japan. As expected, the Japanese, who is three-time Olympic gold medallist, proved too strong for the Indian. Babita tried her best, but Yoshida beat the Indian on great superiority (a difference of 10 points). In the bronze-medal round, Xuechun Zhong of China downed Babita 3-1. In another match, Jyoti was thrashed by Mongolia’s Ochirbatyn Burmaa in a 0-4 ‘great superiority’ verdict in the quarter finals of the freestyle 75kg to crash out of the event.

Women pack a punch

Olympic bronze-medallist MC Mary Kom led the charge as Indian women boxers packed a powerful punch by assuring themselves of medals in each of the three weight categories being contested.

Mary Kom (51kg), L Sarita Devi (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the semis of their respective weight categories with commanding victories.

Mary Kom kicked off the proceedings in the ring for India and once again gave a perfect start, against China’s Si Haijuan, 10 years younger than the Indian.

Sarita, on the other hand, endured an energy-sapping slug fest against Mongolia’s Suvd Erdene Oyungerel but was a clear winner.

In the evening session, L Devendro Singh (49kg), the lone Indian male boxer in fray on Sunday, took just a minute and 27 seconds to beat Laos’ Lasavongsy Bounphone in a Technical Knockout. (PTI)