Indian kayaker Hitesh Kewat loses in final; finishes seventh

Indian kayaker Hitesh Kewat loses in final; finishes seventh

Indian kayak exponent Hitesh Kewat's hopes of a podium finish ended as he lost in the final, while Shubham Kewat exited in the semifinals at the Asian Games here on October 7.

Hitesh lost by a huge margin of 41.10 seconds and finished seventh, clocking 128.34 sec in the men's kayak final at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre.

Earlier in the semifinal, Hitesh had finished 10th, clocking 117.68 seconds, and advanced to the medal round, while Shubham finished 14th, clocking 130.01 sec, and failed to qualify for the final.

China's Xin Quang and Japanese Yuuki Tanaka bagged the gold and silver medal, respectively, while Chinese Taipei's Shao-Hsuan Wu finished with a bronze in the event.

India has only won a bronze in the event at the 1994 Hiroshima Games, while in the last edition in Jakarta, Indian athletes had made it to eight finals across slalom and sprint events but failed to secure a medal. PTI TRN AM AM AM