22nd Asian Athletics Championship: Profitable day for India on Day 1

Indian athletes won two gold, one silver and four bronze medals to wrest the day’s honours from other Asian powerhouses. China’s women javelin thrower Li Lingwei broke the Asian championship record of 61.33m with an effort of 63.06m to give the meet’s first.

After discus expert and defending champion Vikas Gowda opened the medal hunt with a bronze in his pet event (60.81m), Manpreet Kaur gave India their first gold of the meet with a throw of 18.28m in women’s shot put. India’s 5,000m runner Govindan Lakshmanan produced a peach of a run in the final 250 metre to take gold with a time of 14:54.48s. His fine victory earned him a place in the August World Championship in London.

V. Neena gave India their first silver with a leap of 6.54m in the women’s long jump, the gold medal going to Bui Thi Thu of Vietnam with a jump of 6.54m. Bui was awarded gold because she touched the distance in her first attempt while the Indian measured the mark in her fourth jump. Bronze went to India’s Nayana James who touched 6.42m.

The third bronze medal came in women’s 5,00m run where India’s Sanjivani Jadhav clocked 16:00.24s behind Daria Maslova of Kyrgyzstan (15:57.95s) and Alia Mohammed of the United Arab Emirates (15:59.95s).

GuoTianqian of China was second behind Manpreet Kaur in the women’s shot put with a throw of 17.91m and the bronze medal went to Aya Ota of Japsan whose throw measured at 15.45m.

Annu Rani, who was expected to win gold in women’s javelin finished a poor third to earn India their fourth bronze medal. Her throw measured to 57.32m, as against Li Lingwei of China who took gold with an effort of 63.06m. This incidentally is a new meet record surpassing her compatriot Liu Shiying’s previous best of 61.33m achieved at the last meet in Wuhan in 2015. Silver medal went to Nadheesha Dilhani of Sri Lanka with a throw of 58.11m.

Indian long distance exponent Lakshmanan's seering run left Yaser Salem of Qatar chasing him to finish with a time of 14:55.89s. Saudi Arabia's Tariq Ahmed finished third in 14:56.83s.

All the Indian quarter milers, both in men’s and women’s sections have qualified for the finals with consummate ease. Incheon Asian Games bronze medallist Muhammad Anas finished his semifinal heat with a time of 45.48s, the best recorded this evening. His compatriots Jacob Amoj and Arokia Rajiv finished second and third in the second semifinal heat with a time of 46.35s and 46.40 respectively.

In the women’s section, Nirmala clocked 52.79s to top the first semifinal heat. She was followed by Quach Thi of Vietnam (53.26) and Nirmali Madushika of Sri  Lanka (54.38).

India’s M.R. Poovamma finished first at 53.16s to head the second semifinal heat. Jisna Mathew followed her to the finishline with a time of 53.18s. Kristina Pronzhenko of Tajikistan was third in 55.43s.