News31 Oct 2007


Asian champion Paulose heads Indian success - Asian Indoor Games, 2nd day

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Sinimole Paulose of India (© AFP / Getty Images)

Indian athletes opened their gold medal account on the second day of athletic competitions in 2nd Asian Indoor Games at the East Asian Games Dome-Arena on Wednesday (31 Oct), with two 1500m titles.

Sinimole Paulose (24), the reigning Asian champion both indoor and outdoor, led from the start to finish to win the women’s 1500m with ease in 4:22.56. Howewver, Paulose, who was the bronze medallist in this event with personal best 4:18.08 at the inaugural edition of the Asian Indoor Games in 2005, was a long away off O.P. Jaisha’s national record of 4:15.75.  

Kazakhstan’s Svetlana Luakasheva repeated her silver winning performance from the first Games with 4:24.92, while China’s 21-year-old Li Zhenzhu, the Asian Steeplechase record-holder, got the bronze in 4:25.96.

The men’s 1500m race saw a keen contest with Qatar’s Ali Abubaker Kamal and Kuwait’s Al Rasheedi Omar doing the front-running but Chatholi Hamza, the Indian open winner with a career best 3:39.9, hung on to the leading runners before making a ‘move’ at the bell, and celebrated the eve of his 26th birthday with a Games’ record 3:50.22 for victory. Omar (3:50.58) and Ali (3:50.78) took the minor medal spots.

Thai high-jumper defends title with record

Noeng-Rothai Chaipetch of Thailand, the High Jump victor in the first edition of Games, upstaged better known jumpers who entered in Macau. Anna Ustinova of Kazakhstan, this year’s World University Games silver medallist along with her training partner Yekaterina Yevseyeva, double bronze medallist from World Youth and World Junior champs were there to battle for top honours. Vietnam’s Bui Thi Nhung, the reigning SEA Games champion, was also in the fray.  

The competition became tight when all the four leaders sailed comfortably over a height of 1.84m on their first tries.  Yevseyeva had an edge over the others when she cleared the next height of 1.88m, however, she had three unsuccessful attempts in 1.91 along with compatriot Ustinova, while Chaipetch cleared that record height on her third attempt for victory.

Chinese grab three titles

Wang Liangyu, who swept the Asian Grand Prix 400m this year, set a new record 46.08 secs to win today’s men's final.  Jukkatip Pojaroen of Thailand was first out from the blocks with Iran’s defending champion Mohammad Akefian close on his heels.  Sri Lankan Prasanna Amarasekara, the Asian champion at Amman, also provided the required competition. But the Chinese broke away on the final bend to capture the title. “I am happy to win the final.  I thought I could run better,” was his reaction. 

Amarasekara (47.09) and Pojaroen (47.40) also bettered the previous record to claim the silver and bronze medals respectively. Akefian lost his rhythm in the final stages of the race and finished last in 49.06. 

Inspired by Liangyu’s victory, Tang Xiaoyan took the women’s 400m crown with a modest 53.56 clocking.  Kazakhs’ Tatyana Azarova, the Osaka semi-finalist and World University Games 400m Hurdles winner, with team-mate Olga Tereshkova, the Universiade champion over 400m, finished behind Xiaoyan.

Li Fengfeng earned the third gold medal of the day for China with a modest win in the women's Shot Put.  She produced 16.33m, which was well behind her country-woman Li Ling’s winning mark of 18.20 two years ago.  Fengfeng herself holds a PB of 19.13 outdoors and 18.32 indoor. 

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia also won their first gold medals of the Games through their athletes Hussein Al-Sabee and Desy Margawati.  

Al-Sabee, the double gold medallist in the outdoor Asian Games at Busan and Doha with career best 8.35m, obliterated the Games’ mark with 7.93m to win the men’s Long Jump, while the 26-year-old Margawati won the women’s Pole Vault by scaling 3.75m. 

India's P.J. Vinod leads the first day's competition in men's Heptathlon with 3175 points

At the end of the second day, China leads the medal tally with 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal.      

Ram. Murali Krishnan for the IAAF


Results

Men:

400m
1. Wang Liangyu (CHN) 46.08 GR;  2. Prasanna Amarasekara (SRI) 47.09;  3. Jukkatip Pojaroen (THA) 47.40 ;

1500m
1. Chatholi Hamza (IND) 3:50.22 GR ;  2. Omar Al Rasheedi (KUW) 3:50.58;  3. Kamal Abubaker Ali (QAT) 3:50.78;

Long Jump
1. Hussein Al-Sabee (KSA) 7.93 GR;  2. Janmanee Keeratikorn (THA) 7.59;  3. Konstantin Safronov (KAZ) 7.51;

Women:

400m
1. Tang Xiaoyin (CHN) 53.56;  2. Tatyana Azarova (KAZ) 53.68;  3. Olga Tereshkova (KAZ) 53.89; 

1500m
1. Sinimole Paulose (IND) 4:22.56;  2. Svetlana Lukasheva (KAZ) 4;24.92;  3. Li Zhenzhu (CHN) 4:25.96;

High Jump
1. Chaipetch Noeng-Rothai (THA) 1.91 GR;  2. Yekaterina Yevseyeva (KAZ) 1.88;  3. Anna Ustinova (KAZ) 1.88;

Pole Vault
1. Desy Mergawati (INA) 3.75;  2. Sunisa Kaoaed (THA) 3.60;  3. Pasuta Wongwieng (THA) 3.40;

Shot Put
1. Li Fengfeng (CHN) 16.33;  2. Jutaporn Krasaeyan (THA) 15.69;  3. Tin Ka Yin (HKG) 11.71

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