Asian Games 2018: Jinson Johnson's 1500m win - An Olympic gold calling?

What's the story?

Jinson Johnson stole the headlines on Thursday at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia, when he clinched the gold medal to finish off the day on a positive note. It was his second medal of the Games after his silver-medal finish in the men's 800m category a few days ago.

However, his performance not only rewarded him with the gold medal he deserved, but also caught the eye of Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. The latter applauded the youngster's effort for having run faster than the timing clocked by the gold medal winner of the 2016 Olympics.

In case you didn't know

The athletics category of the 2018 Asian Games came to an end as India finished with a total of 19 medals including seven gold medals, ten silver medals, and two bronze medals. That put them third on the order for the highest medals from athletics, only behind leaders China (33) and Bahrain (25).

The heart of the matter

Johnson, who had initially ran his heart out during the 800m men's final where he finished second, behind compatriot Manjit Singh, ran what one could call as a 'perfect race' in the 1500m final. He ensured he was in the top three positions all through the race until the last lap, when he put in the extra yards and accelerated to perfection, crossing the finish line first.

The Keralite finished with a timing of 3:44:72 minutes, a little more than a seco ahead of the second-placed Amir Moradi from Iran. However, what made this effort special was that Johnson finished faster than the 2016 Olympics winner American Matthew Centrowitz, who crossed the line with a time of 3:50:00 minutes.

Given the fact that Jinson's run was enough to emulate the timing set by the winner of the 2016 Olympics' 1500m event, one could ponder on the fact that Jinson could well be ready for the biggest stage. If he trains enough and puts in the hard yards, he can certainly add more medals to his credit.

What's next?

After a successful outing at the 2018 Asian Games, Jinson will be hoping to retain his good run of form and set his eyes on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he will have a chance to prove his mettle and win a medal on the world's biggest sporting stage.

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Do you think Johnson can bring home a rare Olympic medal in athletics? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.