65m Discus Throw highlights - Asian Grand Prix 2005 - first leg

China’s Song Aimin threw the Discus to a season-best distance of 65.23 metres to outclass the field in the first Asian Grand Prix meet here today.

The 27-year-old Chinese was just 10 centimetres off her personal best as she won the contest effortlessly from a clutch of Indians, headed not by former World junior bronze medallist Seema Antil, but by debutant Krishna Poonia. The silver medal-winning Poonia was, however, more than 10 metres behind the classy Chinese.

Harwant Kaur, another Indian, claimed the bronze while Antil finished fourth with only 53.64 metres. India’s Asian Games gold medal winning Discus thrower Neelam J. Singh had withdrawn from the circuit at the last moment.

Song Aimin’s performance remained the most outstanding of the circuit’s opening meet, but there were a few other feats, too, most notably Iranian Moradi Sadjad’s 1:47.07 to win the men’s 800 metres and Chinese Wu Youjia’s season best 13.55 in the 110m Hurdles, that should merit special mention.

Shock defeat

There were a few upsets, too, none more startling as the defeat of Kazakhstan’s Gennadiy Chernovol in the men’s 100 metres. Chernovol, who was considered the favourite, was pushed down to the fifth place with the little-known Indonesia John Herman Muray making it a day to remember for the locals by grabbing the host’s lone medal. The timings were ordinary. Muray had the title in 10.45 seconds, with Indians Anil Kumar and Piyush Kumar filling up the slots immediately behind him.

In what was essentially a battle between the Iranians, Sadjad grabbed the 800 metres gold, out-kicking team-mate Ehsan Mohajershojaei on the straight. In the end, just 0.61 secs separated the two at the finish, with Mohamed Mutlak Al Azemi of Kuwait taking the bronze, well behind.

The duel between the two Sri Lankans, Rohan Pradeep Kumara and Prasanna Amarasekara in the 400 metres, ended in favour of the former. It was some sort of a revenge for Kumara, the Busan Asian Games bronze medal winner, since he was at the losing end back home recently against Amarasekara. In a slow race, Kumara had much the better finish to prevail. India’s Satbir Singh took the bronze ahead of countryman Bhupinder Singh.

The women’s 400 metres provided a keen contest between Tatyana Roslanova of Kazakhstan and Indian Sathi Geetha. The Kazakh won, with a metre to spare at the finish, in 51.79 seconds while Geetha clocked a career-best 52.24 seconds to come second.

Rani soundly beaten

India’s Asian Games champion, Sunita Rani, on a comeback after a low-key year in 2004, was beaten squarely in the women’s 1500 metres, by Kyrgyzstan’s Tatyana Borisova and Kazakhstan’s Svetlana Lukasheva. Borisova clocked a season best 4:13.59.

India’s Navpreet Singh had five efforts over 19 metres while winning the Shot Put gold with a last-round throw of 19.60 metres. Chinese Zhang Qi (19.28) and Indian Ranvijay Singh (18.38) won the silver and bronze. Navpreet had his first major international title to confirm his excellent form this season. He has had two efforts of over 19 metres back in India this season, while Ranvijay Singh, who set the tempo at the beginning of the season with a 19.89, has since slumped.

Maha Singh was the other athlete to win a gold for India on Saturday. The Punjab long jumper produced a last-round effort of 7.89 metres, just two centimeters off his personal best recorded this season, to win the contest that was led by Chinese Song Jian for two rounds, with 7.44. Filipino Henry Dagmil had led briefly with a 7.65 before the Indian clinched it. Dagmil ended with the silver.

Personal season bests were also returned by Chinese high jumper Wang Hao (2.24m), women’s high jumper Tatyana Effimenko of Kyrgyzstan (1.90m) and Singapore’s woman shot putter Zhang Guirong (17.35m) who is of Chinese origin.

The next meet on the circuit will be at Singapore on June 21.

By an IAAF Correspondent

Results:

Men

100m:
1. John Herman Muray (Ina) 10.45, 2. Anil Kumar (Ind) 10.47, 3. Piyush Kumar (Ind) 10.56;
400m:
1. Rohan Pradeep Kumara (Sri) 46.19, 2. Prasanna. Amarasekara (Sri) 46.55, 3. Satbir Singh (Ind) 47.30;
800m:
1. Moradi Sadjad (Iri) 1:47.07, 2.Ehsan Mohajershojaei (Iri) 1:47.68, 3. Mohammed Mutlak Al Azemi (Kuw) 1:48.40;
110m Hurdles:
1. Wu Youjia (Chn) 13.55, 2. Rohollan Ashgari (Iri) 13.89, 3. Suphan Wongsriphuck (Tha) 14.02;
High jump:
1. Wang Hao (Chn) 2.24, 2. Jean Claude Rabath (Lib) 2.20, 3.  Yuriy Pakhlyayev (Kaz) 2.15;
Long jump:
1. Maha Singh (Ind) 7.89, 2. Henry Dagmil (Phi) 7.65, 3. Song Jian (Chn) 7.48; Shot Put:
1. Navpreet Singh (Ind) 19.60, 2. Zhang Qi (Chn) 19.28, 3. Ranvijay Singh (Ind) 18.38; 
Javelin:
1. Li Rongxiang (Chn) 77.62, 2. Sergey Voynov (Uzb) 74.66, 3. Rinat Tarzumanov (Uzb) 73.38.

Women

100m:
1. Guzel Kubbieva (Uzb) 11.45, 2. Lyubov Perepelova (Uzb) 11.48, 3. Poonam Tomar (Ind) 11.57;
400m:
1. Tatyana Roslanova (Kaz) 51.79, 2. S. Geetha (Ind) 52.24, 3. Asami Tanno (Jpn) 53.29;
1500m:
1. Tatyana Borisova (Kgz) 4:13.59, 2. Svetlana Lukasheva (Kaz) 4:15.28, 3. Sunita Rani (Ind) 4:20.51;
400m Hurdles:
1. Natalya Alimzhanova (Kaz) 56.68, 2. Satomi Kubokura (Jpn) 57.11, 3. Yao Yuehua (Chn) 57.11;
High jump:
1. Tatiana Effimenko (Kgz) 1.90, 2. Jiang Haiyan (Chn) 1.87, 3. Anna Ustinova (Kaz) 1.87;
Long jump:
1. Maristella Torres (Phi) 6.46, 2. Zhong Mei (Chn) 6.28, 3. Anastasiya Juravleva (Uzb) 6.27;
Shot Put:
1. Zhang Guirong (Sin) 17.35, 2. Leei Mi-Young (Kor) 17.33, 3. Iolanta Ulyeva (Kaz) 16.75;
Discus:
1. Song Aimin (Chn) 65.23, 2. Krishna Poonia (Ind) 55.05, 3. Harwant Kaur (Ind) 54.79.