India’s Ankita delivered a searing performance on Sunday to clinch the silver medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the World University Games, clocking a personal-best 9:31.99 seconds and signalling a bright start for the nation on the final day of athletics at Rhine-Ruhr.

The 23-year-old social sciences student bettered her previous best of 9:39.00 by nearly seven seconds in a high-quality field, finishing just a whisker behind Finland’s Ilona Maaria Mononen, who claimed gold with a timing of 9:31.86 seconds. Germany’s Adia Budde took the bronze, completing the race in 9:33.34.

Ankita had already hinted at her form on Friday when she topped her heat with a time of 9:54.79 seconds, a staggering 22-second improvement over her earlier seasonal best, comfortably booking her place in the final.

Her silver on Sunday raised India’s medal tally to nine: two gold, four silver, and three bronze.

Elsewhere on the track, the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team, comprising Anakha Bijukumar, Devyaniba Zala, Rashdeep Kaur, and Rupal, clocked a season’s best of 3:35.08 seconds but fell short of a podium finish, settling for fifth place. The German team, overcoming a sluggish start, powered home to take gold in 3:29.68 seconds.

Also read: Indian athlete Seema bags 5000m silver at World University Games

India’s hopes now rest with the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay squads, along with the women’s 4x100m, as they seek to add to the nation’s medal haul in the closing events of the Games.

However, the race walking contingent endured a disappointing outing. In the men’s 20km final, Rahul posted a season-best time of 1:26:34 but managed only a 20th-place finish. The event was won by Italy’s Andrea Cosi in a record-breaking 1:19:48.

Gaurav Kumar clocked 1:28:44 for 25th, Sachin Singh Bohra came in 28th with 1:32:03, while Sanjay Kumar ended last among the 31 finishers at 1:46:21.

The women’s section yielded similar results. Sejal Anil Singh registered a personal best of 1:35:21 but could finish no better than 15th. Australia’s Elizabeth McMillen claimed gold with a WUG record of 1:28:18.

Mansi Negi followed in 20th with 1:41:12, Shalini was 23rd (1:48:07), and Mahima Choudhary brought up the rear in 25th with a time of 1:55:49.