Previews09 Nov 2009


Liu Xiang the main attraction on home soil at the Asian Championships - PREVIEW

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Liu Xiang makes his comeback from injury taking second place in the 2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix (© Getty Images)

The Asian Athletics Championships are coming to China for the first time since inception in 1973. Since joining the Asian family in 1979, China has steadily climbed up the standings, eventually displacing Japan as the leader.

This time at home, in the 18th edition of the Championships, China should be more formidable than ever before.

The last time, China and Japan were at full strength, in Incheon, Korea, in 2005, China topped with 15 gold medals, Japan and Qatar taking home six each. Neither China nor Japan entered their top-ranked athletes in Amman, two years ago. Yet, China continued its dominance topping with a haul of seven gold medals.

The stage is set for yet another Chinese show, in more ways than one this time since the occasion is bound to be utilized to test the organisational structure of the local organising committee, with next year's Asian Games in the city much in focus.

Athletics enthusiasts can, however, look forward to some engrossing contests with almost all countries, except Bahrain, entering near full-strength teams. The only question mark could be the form of the athletes so late in the season though this could help coaches assess the late-season angle in respect of the 2010 Asian Games also.

Liu Xiang back in Chinese colours for first time since Beijing

The excitement has been building up for weeks surrounding the return of Liu Xiang to a representative competition since his unfortunate pull-out from the Beijing Olympics with an injury. He did compete in the Shanghai Golden and the Chinese National Games, narrowly finishing second in his first outing and winning without trouble in the second, but this will be his first outing in Chinese national colours after the painful experience in front of cheering home fans in Beijing last year.

Liu Xiang’s 13.15 seconds run in Shanghai in September easily tops the season’s Area lists in the high hurdles and though his coach has suggested that his main worry would be recurrence of an injury, the darling of the Chinese fans should be expected to make a fine impression here. If at all there could be a challenge for Liu Xiang in the 110m Hurdles, it could come from countryman Shi Dongpeng. The last time the two matched their prowess at the Asian Championships, in 2005, Liu won in a championship record of 13.30 to Shi Dongpeng’s 13.44.

Quality flat sprinting too

Japan at full strength means a top-drawer clash the men’s sprints. Masashi Eriguchi (10.07 secs) and Naoki Tsukahara (10.09), the top two Asians this season, will be in the fray to challenge defending champion Samuel Francis. The Qatari, of Nigerian origin, stunned Asia last time with a 9.99 finish in the dash that shattered Koji Ito’s 1998 Asian record of 10.00 flat.

Francis has not done anything spectacular since then except for making the semifinals of the Beijing Olympic Games last year. He has been in some form this season with a 10.19 run at the ISTAF Golden league meeting in Berlin back in June.

The Chinese sprinters, at home, should also be formidable, raising expectations further that this could be one of the best sprint contests in the championships history.  China has, however, entered only two athletes per event even though it was entitled to enter three. At least, at the time of writing this was the position available in the official entry lists.

Japan should be hoping to score with 400m hurdler Kenji Narisako, who had won in the Doha Asian Games, high jumper Naoyuki Daigo (2.28m season best) and pole vaulter Daichi Sawano (5.70) apart from their sprinters including quarter-miler Yuzo Kanemura.

With Kazakh Sergey Zasimovich also in great form this season with an SB of 2.28, High Jump should produce yet another hot contest. China’s best Zhang Shufeng (2.28) is missing from the line-up, but two outstanding young talents, Huang Haiqiang and Chen Cheng, both 2.24 performers this season, should run the Japanese and Kazakh close.

Bai Xue, the standout name of the long distances

Talking of key contests, one should not lose sight of the middle distance and distance events also. With the West Asian countries in near full strength and China and Japan not leaving much to chance there should be plenty to look forward to in these events as well.

The huge disappointment, in contrast, would be in the fact that Bahrain has not entered its World champions, Yusuf Saad Kamel and Maryam Yusuf Jamal.

The presence of women's World marathon champion, Bai Xue should, however, compensate somewhat. The 20-year-old Chinese should be the overwhelming favourite in the women’s 10,000 metres, with only Japanese Mari Ozaki within the 31:35 career-best bracket with her.

In the men’s section the distance battles should be largely between the Japanese and the Qataris, though Bahrainis could also be in the hunt. Nicholas Kemboi and Abdullah Ahmad Hassan for Qatar and Yusei Nakao for Japan, all of them sub-27:50 performers this season, should be expected to call the shots in the 10,000 metres with Asian Games champion Hasan Mahboob Ali capable of pulling off an upset.

Triple Jump will be the focus of the men's infield

Men’s Triple Jump should see an epic battle if pre-championships form is any guide. Two great performances in Chinese National Games in Jinan just a fortnight ago has set up a pulsating contest.

 Li Yanxi registered an Asian record of 17.59 and was followed by Zhu Shijing at 17.41 in Jinan. Three other 17-plus jumpers, Kazakh Yevgeniy Ektov, Korean Kim Deok-Hyung and defending champion Renjith Maheswary of India, all in good form this season, are also in the fray. Asian Games silver medalist Roman Valiyev (Kazakhstan) should add depth to the line-up.

Overall in the women’s section, one can expect the Chinese to dominate almost completely. Their women’s squad won five of the seven gold medals accrued by their country last time, and 11 of 15 amassed by China in the 2005 edition.

The Chinese should be particularly dominant in the throws. Surprisingly, the leader in women’s discus this season, Li Yanfeng (66.40) who won the National Games title, is not in the fray. Song Aimin (No. 2 at 65.44 at Jinan), the most consistent Chinese performer over the past few years, should, however, tackle the Indian challenge most comfortably. India’s Krishna Poonia and Harwant Kaur have had been very inconsistent through the season.

The Kazakhs and the Uzbeks are expected to corner glory in the jumps, with Kazakh Olga Rypakova proclaiming her form with the long jump-triple jump double at the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi recently.

By an IAAF Correspondent

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