Sudha clocked 9 minutes and 40.03 seconds to win her second Asian Games medal. Winfred Yavi of Bahrain took the gold in 9:36.52 while Thi Oanh Nguyen of Vietnam bagged the bronze in 9:43.83. The 32-year-old Sudha had won a gold medal when women’s 3000m steeplechase was introduced in the Asian Games in 2010. Sudha has a personal best of 9:26.55 while her season’s best is 9:39.59 which she came up with during the National Inter-State Championships in June.

The seasoned Sudha was relieved to win a medal after the disappointment in Incheon four year ago. “I gave my personal best time in Incheon but that was not good enough for a medal. So it did not mean much,” said the 32-year-old from Amethi. She has been around for a while but will take a call on her future after the 2020 Olympics. “Lots of new girls are coming up in steeplechase, which is heartening to see. It was not the case earlier. Hope this silver inspires more youngsters,” she added.