The Indian team won two gold medals in the field events, while Sri Lanka and Pakistan accounted for one gold each on the opening day of the 9th South Asian Games athletics competition at the Jinnah Stadium here today.
One track final contested - 5000m
All the finals that were contested on the first day of the track and field competition at this eight-nation Games were in the field except for the men’s 5000m final.
The one track event concluded was on by Naushad Khan for the host nation. Pakistani Khan clocked 14:39.47 to take the gold medal. He kept the rhythm of the race and was the clear winner at the end.
He had a slow by a steady start and gradually took control by the middle of the race. Khan looked a proud man after giving the hosts their first athletic gold in the 2004 Games. “I am extremely happy. I have been training hard and it was just a reward for my dedication,” he said.
But the silver medal was decided by a mere 0.05-second lead by Indian Rajindra Balandran over Sri Lanka’s L. Chandradasa who settled for the bronze.
The field events finals - women's Javelin, Long Jump and Shot
The 2002 Busan Asian Games silver medallist Anne Maheshi Silva continued her dominance winning the gold medal in women’s javelin throw. An officer attached to the Sri Lanka Navy, Silva produced a distance of 51.37m to finish first.
Indian Gureet Kaur who finally fell just 0.10m behind Silva, won the silver while her team mate Suman Devi came third.
Silva said she was planning to win the South Asian Games gold after her success at the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea. “I am happy to win my first South Asian Games gold. I am looking forward to the future with confidence,” she said after he triumph.
Indians Jetty Joseph and Latha Nicholas won the women’s Long Jump and Shot Put events respectively in convincing fashion. Joseph leapt 6.30m to take the gold, while Nicholas’ put of 15.36m was good enough to take the Shot title.
Preliminary rounds
Asian Championship double gold medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara accounted for the fastest timing in the two men’s 200m heats worked off today.
Kumara, who leads the 51-member Sri Lanka team for the Games, clocked 21.17 second to win the heat one, ahead of Pakistan’s Mohammed Imran (21.55). I. Vilash of India took 21.49 seconds in winning the heat two. They are down to run in men’s 200m final scheduled for tomorrow.
Looking ahead
Saturday (3 April) is the second day of the athletic competition of the South Asian Games. The star attraction in tomorrow’s events would be the women’s 200m final, in which Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka is down to run. Indian Saraswathi Shah is determined to give Jayasinghe a close run in the much looked forward to final.
Besides this, there are two other women’s finals scheduled for Saturday, the 800m and Discus Throw. Five men’s finals are down for decision tomorrow - 200m, 800m, 400m Hurdles, Triple Jump and Discus Throw.
India heads the athletics medal standings with two gold medals, three silver and two bronze medals. India also heads the overall medal tally on day five of the 9th SAF Games. India continued to head the latest medal standings with a rich haul of 35 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze. In the second place are hosts Pakistan with 16 gold medals, 20 silver and 14 bronze.
Dinesh Weerawansa for the IAAF
FINAL RESULTS:
Men:
5000m: 1. Naushad Khan (Pakistan) 14 mts, 39.47 sec; 2. Rajindra Baledran (India)14:42.63, K. Chandradasa (Sri Lanka) 14:42.68.
Women:
Long Jump: 1. Jetty Joseph (India) 6.30m, 2. Foujia Huda (Bangladesh) 6.07, 3. Pooja Ahlawat (India) 5.82.
Javelin throw: 1. Anne Maheshi Silva (Sri Lanka) 51.37m, 2. Gureet Kaur (India) 51.27, 3. Suman Devi (India) 50.58.
Shot Putt: 1. Latha Nicholas (India) 15.36m, 2. A. Chaitali (India)14.48, 3. Zeenath Praveen (Pakistan) 13.47
