Poovamma wins bronze in women's 400m race

M R Poovamma bagged a bronze in women's 400m race as India swelled their medal count from athletics competition to three at the Asian Games here today.

Poovamma clocked 52.36secs in the final race behind pre-match favourite Oluwakemi Adekoya (51.59secs) of Bahrain and Vietnam's Thi Lan Quach (52.06secs) at the Inchon Asiad Main Stadium here.

24-year-old Poovamma, who was the second fastest off the block in the final today, could not touch her personal and season's best of 51.73secs which she clocked at the National Inter-State Championships in Lucknow in June.

Thi Lan, the second worst off the block, overtook Poovamma to take the second place behind the Nigerian-born Bahrain runner, who is also the Asian season leader.

The other Indian in the fray Mandeep Kaur finished sixth in the eight competitor field with a timing of 53.38 secs.

Earlier in the day, Khushbir Kaur won a silver in women's 20km race walk event. She became the first Indian woman to have won a medal in race walking in the Asian Games.

Yesterday, Lalita Babar won a bronze in women's 3000m steeplechase.