WUG 2025: India's Ankita Claims Silver With Blistering Personal Best In 3000m Steeplechase

Last Updated:July 27, 2025, 18:10 IST

Ankita Dhyani won silver in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the World University Games with a personal-best time of 9:31.99. India's tally: 2 golds, 4 silvers, 3 bronzes.

Ankita Dhyani at the World University Games (X)

India’s Ankita delivered a sensational performance in the women’s 3000m steeplechase to clinch silver at the World University Games on Sunday, clocking a personal-best time of 9:31.99. The 23-year-old social sciences student produced a gutsy run in a highly competitive final, shaving nearly seven seconds off her previous best of 9:39.00.

Ankita narrowly missed out on the gold, finishing just 0.13 seconds behind Finland’s Ilona Maaria Mononen, who won the race with a time of 9:31.86. Germany’s Adia Budde secured the bronze medal in 9:33.34.

Ankita had signaled her strong form earlier in the competition, winning Heat 1 on Friday in 9:54.79—an impressive 22-second improvement over her previous performances. Her efforts have now added to India’s growing medal tally, which stands at two golds, four silvers, and three bronzes at the event.

Indian Women’s 4x400m Relay Team Posts Season Best, Misses Podium

The Indian women’s 4x400m relay team delivered their season-best performance on Sunday, finishing in 3:35.08. However, despite the strong showing from the quartet of Anakha Bijukumar, Devyaniba Zala, Rashdeep Kaur, and Rupal, the team placed fifth in a highly competitive final.

Germany claimed gold with a time of 3:29.68, overcoming a poor reaction time to surge ahead of the field.

India, traditionally strong in relay events, will have more opportunities to add to their medal haul in the upcoming men’s 4x400m and 4x100m, as well as the women’s 4x100m relay finals.

Disappointing Results in Race Walk Events

India’s race walkers endured a challenging day, with no top-10 finishes in either the men’s or women’s 20km events. Although a few athletes recorded personal or season-best times, they were unable to contend for medals.

In the men’s 20km race walk, Rahul recorded a season-best 1:26:34 but finished 20th. Italy’s Andrea Cosi dominated the field, winning gold in a World University Games record time of 1:19:48.

Gaurav Kumar (1:28:44) placed 25th, Sachin Singh Bohra (1:32:03) was 28th, and Sanjay Kumar finished last among 31 competitors with a time of 1:46:21.

On the women’s side, Sejal Anil Singh posted a personal best of 1:35:21 to secure 15th place. Australia’s Elizabeth McMillen won gold in a record-setting time of 1:28:18. India’s other finishers included Mansi Negi (20th, 1:41:12), Shalini (23rd, 1:48:07), and Mahima Choudhary (25th, 1:55:49), who placed last among the finishers.

(with PTI inputs)

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

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