Anju Bobby George long jumping at the South Asian Champs in Kochi (© Ram. Murali Krishnan)
Performance levels dipped on a rain-affected day as the Asian Grand Prix circuit wound up its three-leg programme at the Mydinh National Stadium here on Monday (30 June).
The Asian Grand Prix 2008 is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 13-14 September in Stuttgart, Germany.
The exception to the local key nature of meeting's results was the women's Triple Jump where Yelena Parfyonova, the 2006 Asian indoor champion, beat her Kazakh team-mate Irina Litvinenko 14.32 to 14.17. Litvinenko, it may be recalled, had won both the previous legs, at Bangkok and Korat, with Parfyonova taking a silver and bronze.
The 34-year-old Parfyonova touched her best in the third round. She had another 14-metre jump in the fourth, but could not reach her personal best, also recorded this season at Almaty, that of 14.33.
Litvinenko produced her best in the final round while Chinese Xu Tingting had a personal best 14.05 in the third round to claim the bronze.
George wraps up three wins
Indian Anju Bobby George completed a hat-trick of Long Jump titles winning with her best mark of the three meet series, 6.55m, that also equalled her season best recorded at Doha.
In a competition marred by a controversy over measurements and corrections, not to speak of rain and a wet runway, George started with two fouls, as she had done at Korat in the previous leg, but came up with a 6.54 in the fourth and her winning 6.55 in the last round to stamp her authority over a modest field.
Relays
The relays were expected to be hotly contested, what with Beijing Olympic qualification at stake, but in the end they proved a damp squib, especially in comparison to the excellent timings returned in Korat just four days earlier.
The Indian men's 4x400 metres team, looking for a time of below 3:04 in an effort to get into Olympics calculations, could manage only 3:07.09 while winning. Botswana, which flew in to compete as a 'guest' entry, obviously in an effort to get into the world top-16 list for Beijing qualification, had to be satisfied with the third place behind Sri Lanka (3:07.46) with 3:08.03. Botswana is currently (placings list, 22 June) 17th in the relay qualification rankings. India and Sri Lanka do not figure in the top-20 lists.
Likewise, the Chinese men's sprint relay team that clocked a national record of 38.81 while winning at Korat, was beaten to the second place by Thailand, 39.37 to 39.58.
The women's relays also returned poorer timings than at Korat, with China's 44.06 in the shorter relay and India's 3:33.08 in the 4x400 comparing poorly with their second-leg efforts of 43.26 and 3:28.29 respectively. With the latest timings in perspective, notwithstanding the allowance for the wet conditions, the Korat results, especially in the relays, look more incredible than before.
Nine athletes win throughout the series
Those who made a clean sweep of the three legs, excluding relays, were:
Men: Lian Jiahong (China, 100m), Yin Jing (China, 110m Hurdles), Qin Qiang (China, Javelin Throw);
Women: Guzel Khubbieva (Uzbekistan, 100m), Truong Tan Hang (Vietnam, 1500m), Anna Ustionva (Kazakhstan, High Jump), Anju B. George (India, Long Jump), Li Ling (China, Shot Put) and Li Yanfeng (China, Discus Throw).
By an IAAF Correspondent
Results:
Men
100m: Race 'A': 1. Liang Jiahong (Chn) 10.62, 2. Suryo Agung Wibowo (Ina) 10.68, 3. Lai Chun Ho (Hkg) 10.69; Race 'B': 1. Xing Yanan (Chn) 10.77, 2. Hu Kai (Chn) 10.78, 3. Liu Yuan-Kai (Tpe) 10.83;
400m: 1. Juilus Felcimo Nierras Jr. (Phi) 47.36, 2. Jukkatip Pojaroen (Tha) 47.36, 3. Rohita Pushpakumara (Sri) 47.41;
1500m: 1. Naresh Yadav (Ind) 3:53.98, 2. Sandeep Karan Singh (Ind)3:53.99, 3. Nguyen Dinh Cuong (Vie) 3:56.68;
3000m: 1. Kashinath Aswale (Ind) 8:16.22, 2. Ajay Kumar Patel (Ind) 8:16.56, 3. Ajmal Amirov (Tjk) 8:33.47;
110m Hurdles: 1. Ying Jing (Chn) 13.80, 2. Xie Wenjun (Chn) 13.87, 3. Oleg Normatov (Uzb) 14.02;
Triple Jump: 1. Amarjeet Singh (Ind) 16.63, 2. Gu Junjie (Chn) 16.60, 3. Evgeniy Ektov (Kaz) 16.38;
Shot Put: 1. Satyendra Singh (Ind) 17.84, 2. Polyemg Chatchwal (Tha) 17.42, 3. Grigoriy Kamulya (Kaz) 17.32;
Javelin Throw: 1. Qin Qiang (Chn) 69.46, 2. Kashinath Naik (Ind) 68.65, 3. Imran Muhammad (Pak) 67.89;
4x100m Relay: 1. Thailand 39.37, 2. China 39.58, 3. India 39.88; 4x400m relay: 1. India 3:07.09, 2. Sri Lanka 3:07.46, 3. Botswana 3:08.03.
Women:
100m: Race 'A': 1. Guzel Khubbieva (Uzb) 11.82, 2. Vu Thi Huong (Vie) 11.97, 3. Sanrat Songnuch (Tha) 12.17; Race 'B': 1. Tao Yujia (Chn) 12.12, 2. Poonam Tomar (Ind) 12.21, 3. Jahdang Patcharin (Tha) 12.38;
400m: 1. Marina Maslenko (Kaz) 53.38, 2. Subhashini Chandrika (Sri) 53.84, 3. Anna Gavryushenko (Kaz) 54.56;
1500m: 1. Truong Thanh Hang (Vie) 4:18.75, 2. Svetlana Lukasheva (Kaz) 4:21.16, 3. O. P. Jaisha (Ind) 4:23.32;
High Jump: 1. Ana Ustinova (Kaz)1.86, 2. Noeng-Ruthai Chaipeg (Tha) 1.86, 3. Yeketerina Yevseyeva (Kaz) 1.83;
Long Jump: 1. Anju George (Ind) 6.55, 2. Marestella Torres (Phi) 6.38, 3. Zhang Lan (Chn) 6.36;
Triple Jump: 1. Yelena Parfyonova (Kaz) 14.32, 2. Irina Litvinenko (Kaz) 14.17, 3. Xu Tingting (Chn) 14.05;
Shot Put: 1. Li Ling (Chn) 17.57, 2. Zhang Guirong (Sin) 16.45, 3. Iolanta Ulyeva (Kaz)15.81;
Discus Throw: 1. Li Yanfeng (Chn) 59.81, 2. Harwant Kaur (Ind) 58.50, 3. Sun Taifeng (Chn) 58.22;
4x100m Relay: 1. China 44.06, 2. Thailand 44.24, 3.Vietnam 45.13;
4x400m Relay: 1. India 3:33.08, 2. China 3:34.24, 3. Sri Lanka 3:41.59.
