Delhi boy Beant Singh wins 800m gold in Asian Youth Athletics

Young Delhi runner Beant Singh and Kisan Narshi Tadvi won a gold each in boy's 800m and girls' 3000m race as India bagged three medals on the second day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships here.

Young Delhi runner Beant Singh and Kisan Narshi Tadvi won a gold each in boys' 800m and 3000m race as India bagged three medals on the second day of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships here.

Beant-Singh-16-was-in-a-class-of-his-own-in-the-two-lap-event-and-strode-to-a-comfortable-victory-clocking-1-52-26-among-the-fastest-times-in-the-world-this-year-in-the-youth-category-in-Doha-AP-Photo

16-year-old Beant was in a class of his own in the two-lap event and strode to a comfortable victory, clocking 1.52.26, among the fastest times in the world this year in the youth category.

He ran an excellent 54 sec first lap and won the race with a big lead from start to finish at the Qatar Sports Club stadium.

The Delhi runner's win gave India their first gold medal after one silver and two bronze medals on the opening day and just a couple of hours later Kishan Tadvi, who hails from a tribal region in Maharashtra, made it two, by winning the 3000m in an equally dominant performance of 8:26.24.

Decathlete R Rajesh then fetched a silver with a total of 5,867 points over 10 events to swell India's medal tally to two gold, two silver and two bronze over two days.

"I was feeling really good for this race and I have been preparing really well for this competition, so to win is a great satisfaction," he said.

"I have only been in athletics for a short time, two or three years. I was a wrestler before and I was picked for a national team camp by Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar. It was at this moment that I noticed I had a talent for middle distance running and I was encouraged to switch to athletics. Sushil remains a very big inspiration for me," he added.

Beant had won a silver in the National Open Athletics Championships last year at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, his first senior national medal, in 800m with a time of 1:51:08 which was a new national record in the youth category.

"Next stop for me is the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali. I have set big expectations. I want to beat the Indian national record there. I know I can run under 1:50. I have done it in training and I aim to run it at the championships," he said.