Yun Feng of China at the 2004 Asian All-Star meet (© Lim Sin Thai)
SingaporeThe Enzer 1st Asian AllStar Championships in Singapore this evening produced some creditable performances from athletes like Kazakhstan's Yevgeniy Meleshenko (men's 400m Hurdles), India's Anju Bobby George (women's Long Jump), China's Hu Tong (men's High Jump) and Singapore's Zhang Guirong (women's Shot Put).
But the real excitement at Choa Chu Kang Stadium was felt during the 100m sprints despite modest times, where Kazakhstan's Gennadiy Chernovol took the men's 100m in 10.65, while China's Ni Xiaoli won the women's title in 11.75.
Olympic champions on-show for the crowd
The meet started on a high note, even though the crowd was a bit disappointed that the four Asians who won gold medals at the recent Athens Olympics - Japan's Koji Murofushi (men's hammer throw) and Mizuki Noguchi (women's marathon) and China's Liu Xiang (men's 110m hurdles) and Xing Huina (women's 10,000m) - were not competing. But fans were at least uplifted by their presence in the stadium, something which had created much media interest.
In any case when the action started, Kazakhstan's Yevgeniy Meleshenko hinted that there were other athletes capable of quality performances when he clocked 49.56 to win the men's 400m Hurdles in style - and with some ease. Behind him were P.Shankar of India (50.74 secs) and Syria's Alnajem Zahereddin (51.10 secs).
Bobby George continues on song
Fresh from her recent international success in the Long Jump in Yokohama, India's World bronze medallist Anju Bobby George (6.66m) continued to stamp her superiority over other Asian athletes with a convincing win over Kazakhstan's Yelena Kochsheyeva and Marastella Torres of the Philippines. Both were credited with a best jump of 6.41m.
The men's High Jump was an exciting affair. The top three - China's Hu Tong, India's Roy Hari Shankar and Vietnam's Bang Nguyen Duy - all cleared 2.25m, while in the women's Shot Put, Singapore's Zhang Guirong (18.37m) gave the local crowd much to cheer about. She finished ahead of China's Liu Ying Fan (17.52m) and Thailand's Juthapon Krasaeyan (15.56m).
Stiff competition
In other events, the excitement came from the stiff competition among the athletes rather than the times, heights or distances. For example, the women's 400m was a delight to watch. Though the times weren't fast, the rivalry on the track among the first three runners - India's Manjit Kaur (53.08), Japan's Asami Tanno (53.58) and India's Rajwinder Kaur (53.89) - made for fascinating viewing.
The men's 400m too had its little twists and turns before Sri Lanka's Rohan Pradeep Kumar (46.18) defeated team mate Amarsekara P. Sampati (46.73) and India's Matthew Binu (47.00).
The middle and long distance races didn't produce top quality performances in part because the winners won with ease. Japan's Fumikazu Kobayashi, for instance, was first in the men's 1500m in 3:47.35 – way ahead of W.C. Wijeekoon of Sri Lanka (3:51.24) and John Lozada of the Philippines (3:59.63). The women's 1500m was a slightly closer affair but, in the end, kyrgyzstan's Tatania Borisova (4:17.47) prevailed over Myint Myint Aye of Myanmar (4:18.71). Vietnam's Bang Do Thi was a distant third (4:30.39).
The men's 5000m was won by Nepal's Rajendra Bhandari (14:16.36). Behind him were Eduardo Buenavista of the Philippines (14:22.38) and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Bagrev (14:33.76).
Showcase event
About the success of this one day meet, Asian Athletic Association's Secretary General Mr Maurice Nicholas, one of the driving forces behind it, said, "Clearly, it has given Asian athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents. While many now get the chance to compete internationally, it's also important that they compete in front of Asian crowds as part of our efforts to promote track and field in this part of the world."
Chua Chong Jin & Lim Sin Thai for IAAF
Other Results:
Men
Discus
1. Wu Tao (China) 57.29m
2. Shigeo Hatakeyama (Japan) 54.83m
3. Sawusdee Wunsawang (Thailand) 52.49m
Pole Vault
1. Grigoriy Yegorov (Kazakhstan) 5.10m
2. Teh Weng Chang (Malaysia) 4.90m
3. Geesh Kumar (India) 4.50m
Triple Jump
1. Gu Junjie (China) 16.26m
2. Amarjeet Singh (India) 16.15m
3. Nattapon Namkunha (Thailand) 15.89m
Women
100m hurdles
1. Feng Yun (China) 13.47 secs
2. Kumiko Ikeda (Japan) 13.89 secs
3. Moh Siew Wei (Malaysia) 13.91 secs
Javelin
1. Ma Ning (China), 56.71m
2. Harumi Yamamoto (Japan) 50.20m
3. Chanthana Hongsan (Thailand) 50.01m
