Susanthika Jayasinghe after winning the Asian Games 100m (© Gray Mortimore)
Bangkok, ThailandAmidst a clutch of mediocre performances that set the ball rolling on a wet day in the opening leg of the 2006 Asian Grand Prix circuit, the men’s 400m hurdlers and the women high jumpers came up with top-class performances to steal the show here on Thursday (18).
Chinese Meng Yan came close to his national record of 49.19 seconds set last year when he took the men’s 400m Hurdles gold ahead of the favourite Yevgeniy Melshenko of Kazakhstan. The 25-year-old Chinese clocked 49.86 while Melshenko came in 50.04. Indian Joseph Abraham, making his debut in an Asian-level meet, took the bronze in 51.89.
In the women’s High Jump, Marina Aitova of Kazakhstan edged Asian and Asian Games champion Tatiana Efimenko of Kyrgyzstan on a countback after the two tied at 1.94 metres in an engrossing competition.
Feng Yun of China lived up to her reputation by effortlessly winning the women’s 100m Hurdles in a time of 13.25 seconds. She had no opposition worth the name with Natalya Ivoninskaya of Kazakhstan bringing up a 13.58 for the second spot.
In one of the better contested races in the men’s section, Rohan Pradeep Kumara had the masure of his countryman, Prasanna Sampath Amarasekhara in the 400 metres, 45.81 to 46.42 seconds. The shock was in Asian Games champion Fawzi Al-Shammari of Kuwait finishing last in 49.54.
For the rest, unexpected rains plus early-season rustiness contributed towards a set of ordinary marks that proved the rule rather than the exception in the 17-event card that was gone through in the afternoon.
Susanthika Jayasinghe, on a comeback, was beaten by Uzbek Guzel Khubbieva in the women’s 200 metres. The Sri Lankan, winner of an Olympic bronze medal in Sydney six years ago, had missed part of 2004 and the whole of last season before getting back into competition this season. She clocked a modest 23.45 behind Khubbieva’s 23.29. She was a last-minute inclusion in the Sri Lankan team after Damayanthi Darsha pulled out.
The women’s Discus Throw showed how low the standards had plunged, with Chinese Song Aimin needing nothing better than 56.99 metres for the win. In contrast, she had opened with a 65.23m last year in the first Asian GP meet at Sidoarjo and that topped the Asian lists for the year.
In the absence of India’s top two discus throwers, Seema Antil and Harwant Kaur, both indisposed, Krishna Poonia had the task of winning a medal for her country and she did that without sweat, a 54.32 fetching her the silver. In a field of just four, two Thai athletes brought up the rear with efforts below 43 metres.
Pinki Parmanik of India won the 800 metres gold and added the 400 metres silver, pushing in the latter event the Asian champion, team-mate Manjeet Kaur. The 400m gold went to Olga Tereshkova of Kazakhstan.
By an IAAF Correspondent
The results:
Men:
100m (+0.1): 1. Wen Yongyi (CHN) 10.30, 2. Wachara Sondee (THA) 10.43, 3. Seksan Wongsala (THA) 10.49, 4. Anil Kumar (IND) 10.53, 5. Ekkachai Janthana (THA) 10.60, 6. Umanga Sanjeewa Surendra (SRI) 10.66, 7. Vitaliy Medvedev (KAZ) 10.85.
400m: 1. Rohan Pradeep Kumara (SRI) 45.81, 2. Prasanna Sampath Amarasekara (SRI) 46.42, 3. Li Guangjin (CHN) 47.27, 4. Supachai Phachsay (THA) 48.24, 5. Satbir Singh (IND) 48.86, 6. Tulapong Sudatso (THA) 49.47, 7. Fawzi Al-Shammari (KUW) 49.54.
800m: 1. Ehsan Mohajershojaei (IRI) 1:53.26, 2. Francis Sagiaraj (IND) 1:53.75, 3. Li Guangming (CHN) 1:54.22, 4. Dmitry Tarassenko (KAZ) 1:54.59, 5.Keattisak Sangchaisiri (THA) 1:56.95, 6. Danurooj Koonkaew (THA) 1:57.49.
3000m: 1. Chen Mingfu (CHN) 8:25.14, 2. Sunil Kumar (IND) 8:25.93, 3. Pritam Bind (IND) 8:26.75, 4. Boonthung Srisung (THA) 8:27.52, 5. Denis Bagrev (KGZ) 8:29.24, 6. Tran Van Thang (VIE) 8:59.02, 7. Patikarn Pesricha (THA) 8:59.30.
400m Hurdles: Meng Yan (CHN) 49.86, 2. Yevgeniy Melshenko (KAZ) 50.04, 3. Joseph Abraham (IND) 51.89, 4. Arijan Raja Rathnayake (SRI) 52.94, 5. Thocraporn Pakurn (THA) 53.37, 6. Jamaluddin Shahdah (MAS) 53.72, 7. Vi Van Tinh (VIE) 54.35, 8. Gurpreet Singh (IND) 57.01.
High Jump: 1. Jean Claude Rabath (LIB) 2.21, 2. Nguyen Duy Bang (VIE) 2.18, Hari Shanker Roy (IND) 2.14, 4. Sergey Sazimovich (KAZ) 2.05, 5. Chokchai Jirasukrujee (THA) 2.05, 6. Torlarp Sudjanta (THA) 2.05, 7. Sean Guevara (PHI) 2.00, 8. Xu Xin (CHN) 2.00.
Long Jump: 1. Mahan Singh (IND) 7.55, 2. Roman Valiyev (KAZ) 6.50, 3. Li Xin (CHN) 7.48, 4. Amritpal Singh (IND) 7.34, 5. Mehdi Amini Zazcrani (IRI) 7.18, 6. Henry Dagmil (PHI) 7.15, 7. Supawat Klanjai (THA) 7.12, 8. Mohd. Shaimi Mohd. Syahrul (MAS) 6.95.
Shot Put: 1. Zhang Qi (CHN) 19.00, 2. Navpreet Singh (IND) 18.61, 3. Ahmad Gholoum (KUW) 18.27, 4. Sarayudh Pintitjit (THA) 16.55, 5. Chatchawal Polyemg (THA) 16.34.
Women:
200m (+0.1): 1. Guzel Khubbieva (UZB) 23.29, 2. Susanthika Jayasinghe (SRI) 23.45, 3. Zhu Juanhong (CHN) 24.18, 4. Jutamass Tawoncharoen (THA) 24.21, 5. Vu Thi Huong (VIE) 24.35, 6. Rajwinder Kaur (IND) 24.48, 7. Oranut Klomdee (THA) 24.83.
400m: 1. Olga Tereshkova (KAZ) 53.53, 2. Pinki Parmanik (IND) 53.86, 3. Manjeet Kaur (IND) 54.86, 4. Menaka Wickramasinghe (SRI) 56.52, 5. Gao Lihua (CHN) 56.99, 6. Panthkarn Yuangjan (THA) 57.16, Ana Gavryushenko (KAZ) DNF.
800m: 1. Pinki Parmanik (IND) 2:07.08, 2. Zamira Amirova (UZB) 2:08.57, 3. Viktoriya Yalovtseva (KAZ) 2:08.73, 4. Tatiana Borisova (KGZ) 2:09.12, 5. Huang Xiaofeng (CHN) 2:09.59, 6. Do Thi Bong (VIE) 2:10.87, 7. S. Shanthi (IND) 2:12.56, 8. Buatip Boonprasert (THA) 2:13.30.
100m Hurdles (+0.02): 1. Feng Yun (CHN) 13.25, 2. Natalya Ivoninskaya (KAZ) 13.58, 3. Dedeh Erawati (INA) 13.85, 4. Anuradha Biswal (IND) 14.51, 5. Nguyen Than Hoa (VIE) 14.78.
High Jump: 1. Marina Aitova (KAZ) 1.94, 2. Tatiana Efimenko (KGZ) 1.94, 3. Anna Ustinova (KAZ) 1.84, eq. 4. Svetlana Radzivil (UZB) 1.84, eq. 4. Bui Thi Nhung (VIE) 1.84, 6. Gu Biwei (CHN) 1.80, 7. Norengruthai Chaipech (THA) 1.70.
Long Jump: 1. Olga Rypakova (KAZ) 6.21, 2. Marestella Torres (PHI) 6.15, 3. Thitima Muangjan (THA) 5.85, 4. Olessa Belyayeva (KAZ) 5.80, 5. Lerma Gabito (PHI) 5.47, 6. Janjira Poommark (THA) 5.46, Liu Huahua (CHN) 5.41.
Shot Put: 1. Zhang Guirong (SIN) 17.31, 2. Jiang Ping (CHN) 16.86, 3. Iolanta Ulyeva (KAZ) 16.70, 4. Du Xianhui (SIN) 16.69, 5. Juthaporn Krasaeyan (THA) 13.04.
Discus: 1. Song Aimin (CHN) 56.99, 2. Krishna Poonia (IND) 54.32, 3. Siwaporn Waraeang (THA) 42.18, 4. Juthaporn Krasaeyan (THA) 40.36.
