South Asian Games: India bag triathlon gold

It did not take long for India to open up their medal account at the South Asian Games in Nepal.

On the opening day of competition, Ardasha M N Sinimol collected gold for India in the men's triathlon.

The 13th edition of the multi-sport event is being held in the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal.

Along with the hosts, also participating in the competition are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

South Asian Games Triathlon gold

India has so far kicked off its medal tally with a gold, two silvers and a bronze in the opening day triathlon event.

The event is made up of three continuous legs of a 750m swim, 20km bike race and a 5km run, and the first athlete to successfully complete the course is declared the winner.

Adarsha M N Sinmol won the men's individual triathlon event with a time of 1:02:51 to secure gold, while fellow countryman Bishworjit Srikhom clocked in at 1:02:59 to nab silver and complete a 1-2 finish for India.

Over in the women's individual event, Thoudam Sorojini Devi clinched silver with a time of 1:14:00 and Pragnya Mohan took bronze by setting a time of 1:14:57. Victory went to Nepal's Song Gurung, 15 seconds clear of Devi.

India Volleyball teams advance

India had a good run in volleyball as well, with the men's and women's teams racking up wins in their semifinal matches to advance to Tuesday's finals at Covered Hall, Tripureshwor.

In the men's category, India beat Sri Lanka 27-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 in what was a closely-fought competition while Pakistan edged out Bangladesh 25-15, 25-21, 26-24 in their semifinal encounter.

The Indian women's team, which is also the defending champion of the event, came out on top against Maldives 25-14, 25-6, 25-17 in their semifinal match and will hope to retain their crown as they go up against Nepal, who beat Sri Lanka 25-14, 25-18, 25-21 in the semifinals.

Tickets for the South Asian Games 2019 are available at https://sag.esewa.com.np/