Liang Jiahong at the 2006 World Junior Championships (© Getty Images)
Men’s and women’s 60m sprints were the best events in Shanghai where the Chinese indoor season continued on Wednesday (18) and Thursday (19).
21-year-old Teng Haina took long strides ahead winning the women’s 60m final in 7.30s. Teng, who now has lowered her personal best by 0.17s since last season, had run 7.43s in Nanjing last weekend and already bettered that result in the heats with 7.37s PB. As usual in China the National Games season will bring ahead a lot of new names and also introduce some comebacks by athletes who have retired earlier.
Teng Haina only had an 11.81s season’s best in the 100m last season and an 11.78 PB from 2007, but despite these unconvincing results her first indoor marks have made her one of the sprint favourites for the 11th National Games in Jinan next October. Wang Yingju was second after Teng clocking a 7.38s season’s best coming close to her 2005 PB 7.33s. In another final heat 18-year-old Ha Xianping won with a personal best 7.37s with Wang Jing a close second in 7.38s SB.
In the men’s races 19-year-old Su Bingtian, a 10.41s 100m runner last season, won the first race with a 6.66s personal best followed closely by the fastest Chinese sprinter in 2008, Zhang Peimeng, who ran a season’s best 6.67s. Zhang, who set a 10.23s personal best last season in the 100m, competed at the Olympic 200m in Beijing. His best is 20.74s over that distance from 2007. Liang Jiahong equalled his personal best 6.66s winning the second final heat. The 20-year-old, who was fifth at the 2006 World Junior Championships 100m, also clocked the same time last season. Guo Fan set a season’s best 6.69s for the second place in this heat.
19-year-old Zhang Haikun scored an 800/1500m double winning in 1:51.96s and 3:47.11s respectively. Yin Jing was again fastest over the 60m hurdles equalling his 7.64s personal best which he set in Nanjing just four days earlier.
In the jumps 2005 World Youth Champion and 2006 World Junior Championships silver medallist Yang Yansheng bettered Chinese indoor and outdoor record holder (5.71m/5.62m) Liu Feiliang on countback with both athletes clearing 5.45m in the Pole Vault. For Yang this was an indoor PB. 21-year-old Su Xiongfeng won the Long Jump with a 7.95m personal best with Ding Jie also setting PB 7.88m for the second place.
The best men’s field event result was a 16.89m Triple jump achieved by 20-year-old Dong Bin. The Hunan athlete, another elite triple jumper from this province, reached 16 metres for the first time in 2006 jumping 16.22m then. In 2008 he jumped a personal best 16.54m for second place at the National Championships and opened his indoor season with a 16.51m win in Nanjing last weekend. With this result Dong is right there with the best Chinese triple jumpers fighting for place on the World Championship team and most of all a National Games win. The best Chinese triple jumpers including Olympic finalist Li Yanxi, who jumped 17.30m PB in Beijing, have not jumped indoors this season.
In the women’s events 19-year-old Wang Li equalled her 8.27s personal best winning the 60m hurdles. Zhang Rong was second in a 8.31m SB. Li Ling won the pole vault with 4.30m result with Zhao Yingying reaching the same height in second place.
Xu Tingting won the Triple Jump with 13.78 season’s best, Chen Yufei was second setting a 13.71m personal best. 16-year-old Deng Linuo was third with 13.67m PB. Li Li won the women’s shot put with a 17.25m toss, a season’s best. Here too the best Chinese shot putters have not competed indoors yet.
The Chinese indoor season will conclude in Beijing 14-15 March. The Road Race Walking championships will be next on 20-22 March with the first outdoor meeting taking place in Chongqing in April.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
