A few minutes after Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet won the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the 17th Asian Games here on Saturday, China’s Li Zhenzhu was jumping in joy. Indians Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh were shedding tears of joy too.
Jebet, the 17-year-old Kenya-born world junior champion had run a commanding race, breaking away from the rest after the 1000m mark and shattered her own Asian record. But just as she was about to climb the victory podium minutes, an announcement came that she had been disqualified and along with it, there was an image on the big screen at the Asiad Main Stadium showing her accidentally losing her balance while handling a corner in the first lane and going inside.
That disqualification should give Li the gold and India’s Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh, the defending champion, the silver and bronze.
India and China had lodged protest over the Jebet issue and Bahrain had appealed against the disqualification and with the jury yet to decide on the issue, the suspense continued for the Indians.
“The jury will give its verdict tomorrow,” said C.K. Valson, a technical delegate of the Games and the Athletics Federation of India Secretary.
Record brokenThe first six finishers in the event, including Lalita and Sudha broke the Games record, and the two Indians bettered their personal bests and the national record too.
For Jebet, it was another disappointing championship. She had won Asian Championship gold in Pune last year but the IAAF took it away saying that she was ineligible to run for her new country at that point of time. Dramatic day
And Qatar’s Morocco-born Mohammed Al Garni made it all the more lively when he began celebrating his 5000m victory on the home straight, raising his hands and even jumping in joy, much before he had even completed the race.
Of course, he had a huge lead after breaking away from the top pack with about 250m to go. India’s Suresh Kumar was the front runner for a major part of the race but with three laps to go, Bahrain’s Gebre Bekele moved to the front and at the bell, Qatar’s Ali Abubaker Kamal upped a gear and went to the top only to watch helplessly as the tall Garni took off on his stunning run. Suresh finished ninth.
DisappointmentThere was disappointment Preeja Sreedharan, the women’s 10,000m defending champion, who could only manage just a seventh place in the event.
The UAE’s Alia Mohammed Saeed, who was born in Ethiopia as Medina Kadir before she changed her name along with her nationality, won comfortably in 31:51.86s and in the process broke the Asian Games record too.
Among other Indians, Asian leader M.R. Poovamma and Mandeep Kaur qualified for the women’s 400m final while in the men’s section, Kunhu Mohammed (46.08s) and Arokia Rajiv (46.22) made the final in the men’s 400m.
The results:
Men: 5,000m: 1. Al Garni Mohammed (Qat) 13:26.13s GR, 2. Gebre Alemu Bakele (Brn) 13:27.98, 3. Rop Albert Kibichi (Brn) 13:28.08.
Hammer throw: 1. Dilshod Nazarov (Tjk) 76.82m, 2. Wang Shizu (Chn) 73.65, 3. Wan Yong (Chn) 73.43.
Women: 10,000m: 1. Alia Mohammed Saeed (UAE) 31:51.86s, 2. Ding Changqin (Chn) 31:53.09, 3. Ayumi Hagiwara (Jpn) 31:55.67, 7. Preeja Sreedharan (Ind) 32:29.17.
3000m steeplechase: 1. Ruth Jebet (Brn) 9:31.36s, 2. Li Zhenzhu (Chn) 9:35.23, 3. Lalita Babar (Ind) 9:35.37, 4. Sudha Singh (Ind) 9:35.64. (jury’s final verdict pending).
Shot put: 1. Lijiao Gong (Chn) 19.06m, 2. Leyla Rajabi (Iri) 17.80, 3. Guo Tianqian (17.52).
