Continuing his good run, Asian Games champion Arpinder Singh won the bronze in the men’s triple jump in the IAAF Continental Cup athletics at Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Sunday evening.
American Christian Taylor, the Olympic and World champion, won the gold with a 17.59m opening effort while Burkina Faso’s Hughes Fabrice Zango won the silver with 17.02 while Arpinder’s first round 16.59 got him the bronze.
But there was huge disappointment for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champion Neeraj Chopra, who failed to qualify for the semifinals, and finally ended sixth with a best of 80.24m.
Germany’s Olympic champion Thomas Rohler won the gold with 87.08m while Taipei’s Asian record holder Chao-Tsun Cheng won the silver with 83.28.
Neeraj had a long third round throw – it appeared to land near the 85m mark – but it was out of the ‘sector’ and hence a foul. That cost him dearly.
Meanwhile, Asiad gold medallist Jinson Johnson was sixth in the men’s 1500m in 3:41.72s (Kenyan Elijah Manangoi, gold, 3:40.00s) and Asiad silver medallist Muhammed Anas was fifth in the men’s 400m in 45.72s (Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun, gold, 44.72s).
Sudha Singh suffered an early elimination (last after the third lap) in the women’s 3000m steeple chase.
