The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : China dominates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 26, 2007
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Sport

Sport - Athletics

China dominates

K.P. Mohan

AMMAN: Despite fielding a second-string team, China still dominated day one of the Asian athletics championships at the Amman International Stadium here on Wednesday.

After making it a one-two in women’s 20km walk, China had a winner in Liao Xioyan (60.58) in women’s hammer throw.

Asian Games champions Dilshod Nazraov of Tajikstan in hammer and Jean-Claude Rabbath of Lebanon in high jump were beaten. Ali Mohammad Al Zankawi of Kuwait beat Nazarov by just one centimetre while Malaysian Lee Hup Wei edged Rabbath 2.24 to 2.21 in high jump.

Indians had an ordinary day with Chatholi Hamza finishing a fighting fourth in the men’s 1500m, won by Saudi Arabian Shaween Othman (timings not known at the time of going to press) and Nirbhay Singh ending up seventh in hammer throw ( 62.54). Hari Sankar Roy finished fifth in high jump with 2.18 metres.

Spirited race

K. M. Binu, rusty and out of much-needed competitive build-up, ran a spirited race to pip Sri Lankan Prasanaa Amarasekara in the heats of the 400m in a photo-finish. Both were credited with 47.09. Binu had missed much of last season through injury and illness before joining the longer relay team at the Doha Asian Games where India took the silver.

Leading the qualifiers into the final was Sri Lankan Ashok Jayasunam with a 46.60. Reza Bousar of Iran won the other heat in 47.21s. Asian Games champion Hamdhan Odha Al-Bishi of Saudi Arabia was a last-minute withdrawal.

Former Asian Games champion Fawzi Al-Shammari of Kuwait did not finish in one of the heats.

Susmita Singha Roy and J J. Shobha surprisingly gave away much ground in high jump to be third and fourth in heptathlon after two events this morning.

The surprise second, after two events, was Vietnamese Nguyen Thu Cuc, a last-minute entry, whose 1.72 high jump put her ahead of the Indians.

Expectedly, Kazakh Irina Naumenko led the field with 1920 points with 14.35s in 100m hurdles and 1.81m in high jump.

Shobha had a 14.66 in hurdles and 1.60 in high jump to be fourth at 1623 while Susmita had 14.94s and 1.69m to be overall third with 1692 points.

Samuel R. Francis of Qatar, a Nigerian ‘import’, clocked a championship record while winning his 100m heat in 10.18s. It bettered Qatari Talal Mansoor’s 1993 mark of 10.22s. That happened to be Mansoor’s third Asian title.

Sri Lankan Susanthika Jayasinghe led the qualifiers into the final of the women’s 100 metres with a superb 11.35s. Bahrain’s Rakia Al-Ghasara pulled out at the last moment leaving the Sri Lankan an overwhelming favourite in the event.

The results: Men: High jump: 1. Lee Hup Wei (Mas) 2.24, 2. Jean-Claude Rabbath (Lib) 2.21, Satoru Kubota (Jpn) 2.21; Hammer: 1. Ali Zankawi (Kuw) 75.71, 2. Dilshod Nazarov (Tjk) 75.70, 3. Hiroaki Doi (Jpn) 70.74.