Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the under-20 World record-holder, qualified for the World championships with an impressive 83.32m effort that fetched him the silver at the Asian Grand Prix’s second leg here on Thursday.
With Taipei national record-holder Chao-Tsun Cheng opening with a massive effort of 86.92m — the world’s second-best throw this season —under-20 World champion Neeraj appeared inspired as he produced his season’s best effort that was better than the entry standard of 83m for the Worlds which will be held in London in August.
The silver was Neeraj’s second in the Asian Grand Prix this year after a similar finish in the opening leg in Jinhua three days ago.
Meanwhile, Kerala’s V. Neena won the women’s long jump gold with a mediocre 6.37m. Neena had picked the silver in the AGP’s opening leg but with a much better 6.46.
Silver winners
Women’s shot putter Manpreet Kaur, the lone gold medallist in the opening leg three days ago, bagged a silver with an effort (17.44m) that was nearly one and a half metres lesser than her National record performance in Jinhua. Dutee Chand, the country’s fastest woman, and Asian 800m champion Tintu Luka also picked up silvers.
Duttee’s 100m time and medal were better than her Jinhua show but Tintu was slow, clocking 2:06.32s, in the two-lapper on a day which was very cold and windy.
“After last night’s rain, it was very chilly and windy, we were shivering,” Usha told The Hindu from China. “That affected a lot of events and that is why all the timings were slow in the 800 today.” China’s Wang Chun Yu, the winner, was timed at 2:05.86.
Jinson Johnson, the Asian championship silver medallist who took a silver in Jinhua, finished a disappointing eighth in the men’s two-lapper.
India finished with one gold, four silvers and one bronze which came from Om Prakash Singh (18.73m) in the men’s shot put.
The bandwagon now heads to Taipei where the last leg of the AGP will be held on April 30.
The results:
Men: 100m: 1. Mi Hong (Chn) 10.40s, 2. W. Himasha Eashan (Sri) 10.47, 3. Boby Yaspi (Ina) 10.50. 8. S. Vidya Sagar (Ind) 11.29. 800m: Ebrahim Alzofairi (Kuw) 1:50.06s, 2. Dashan Zhang (Chn) 1:50.80, 3. Taichi Ichino (Jpn) 1:50.89, 8. Jinson Johnson (Ind) 1:53.76. 110m hurdles: 1. Xie Wenjun (Chn) 13.52s, 2. Al Youha Yaqoub (Kuw) 13.55, 3. Yang Wei Ting (Tpe) 13.98. High jump: 1. Gazal Majed Aldin (Syr) 2.30m, 2. Sun Zhao (Chn) 2.24, 3. G. Kevyan (Irn) 2.20. Triple jump: 1. Cao Shuo (Chn) 16.59m, 2. Roman Valiyev (Kaz) 15.98, 3. Pratchaya Tepparak (Tha) 15.95. 5. Rakesh Babu (Ind) 15.73. Javelin throw: 1. Chao-Tsun Cheng (Tpe) 86.92m, 2. Neeraj Chopra (Ind) 83.32, Huang Shih Feng (Tpe) 78.55, 4. Ravinder Singh Kheira (Ind) 75.22. Shot put: 1. Wu Jiaxiang (Chn) 19.09m, 2. Samari Ali (Iri) 18.99, 3. Om Prakash Singh (18.73).
Women: 100m: 1. Zyabkina Viktoriya (Kaz) 11.36s, 2. Dutte Chand (Ind) 11.57, 3. Le Tu Chinh (Vie) 11.67. 9. Reena George (Ind) 12.20. 400m: 1. Mikhina Elina (Kaz) 52.79s, 2. Quach Thi Lan (Vie) 53.85, 3. Fu Na (Chn) 54.34. 800m: 1. Wang Chun Yu (Chn) 2:05.86s, 2. Tintu Luka (Ind) 2:06.32, 3. Liyanarachchi Nimali (Sri) 2:07.51. 100m hurdles: 1. Shynazbekova Algerim (Kaz) 13.43s, 2. Pilipenko Anastassiya (Kaz) 13.45, 3. Shimura Hitomi (Jpn) 13.56. Long jump: 1. V. Neena (Ind) 6.37m, 2. Xu Xiao Ling (Chn) 6.37, 3. Jiang Yan Fei (Chn) 6.25. Shot put: 1. Bian Ka (Chn) 18.08m, 2. Manpreet Kaur (Ind) 17.44, 3. Song Jia Yuan (Chn) 17.39 .
