Asian Championships - Liu Xiang and Shaheen, the stars - PREVIEW

Asian athletics is looking stronger than ever. The feats of the Chinese Liu Xiang and Xing Huina at the Athens Olympics coupled with the double-gold triumph of Rashid Ramzi at the recent World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, have brought the continent into the limelight.

The recent success of the Asian athletes should contribute towards a healthier state for the sport in the continent as China focuses its energies towards the Beijing Olympics, three years from now.

It is in this background that we have to view the 16th Asian Athletics Championships, which begin at the Munhak Stadium here on September 1.

Xiang and Shaheen to star

Though the double World champion, Ramzi, will be missing from action, along with Xing Huina and possibly an injured Olympic Hammer champion, Koji Murofushi (JPN), the participation of Liu Xiang, the Olympics 110m Hurdles gold medallist, and Saif Saaeed Shaheen, the double World Steeplechase champion and record holder from Qatar, should add stature and glamour to the biennial event.

History

First mooted way back in 1962, the continental Championships took firm shape only in 1973 when the Philippines hosted the meet at Manila. The Championships went through a series of cycle changes, especially in recent years, before arriving at the present schedule that puts it a year after the Olympics. The continental association that changed its name from the Asian Amateur Athletics Association to just the Asian Athletics Association in 2002, has in the meantime, floated an Asian Grand Prix circuit as well, already into its fourth year and growing.

In terms of prestige and involvement, the continental meet is next only to the Asian Games. In the early years, Japan used to dominate the Championships. Then China took over, and has never looked back. The past few years there has been a slight slackening of the Chinese grip, especially in the women’s events. Not substantial enough for the rest to climb up to the top spot, but marked enough to provide room for some hope.

National Games distraction but Chinese still set to dominate

With the ultra-important domestic fixture, the National Games taking place this autumn, the Chinese haven’t entered all their best men and women for this year’s Asian Championships. Still, they should rule, just as they have been for several years. If they did show signs of weakness in Colombo in 2002, when they had 10 gold medals, the tally had risen to 19 on the last occasion in Manila in 2003.

Despite the absence of Xing Huina, the 10,000m Olympic champion and Sun Yingjie, last year’s World Half Marathon champion, the Chinese team looks formidable.

Champs record has short time to live

Liu Xiang will naturally be the star attraction. The Olympic champion who could manage only the silver behind Frenchman Ladji Doucouré in Helsinki, will have team-mate Shi Dongpeng, a World Championships semi-finalist, for company. No one looks likely to come close to the Chinese pair. Shi Dongpeng will be defending the title; Liu Xiang will be trying to regain it. He had won it in Colombo, three years ago. Both should be aiming to crack countryman Li Tong’s 1993 record of 13.49 seconds. Routine for Liu perhaps. We know he holds a share of the World record with Britain’s Colin Jackson on 12.91 seconds. But he could be lacking in motivation here, coming towards the end of a long season.

Of the other six defending champions…

Apart from Shi Dongpeng, China has entered six other defending Asian champions, discus thrower Wu Tao and javelin thrower Li Rongxiang in the men’s section, and Huang Xiaoxiao (400m Hurdles), Huang Qiuyan (Triple Jump), Li Meiju (Shot Put), and Gu Yuan (Hammer) in the women’s section.

US Collegian Vikas Gowda, who is going to represent his country of birth, India, for the first time in an Asian meet, could upset Wu Tao’s title defence in men’s Discus Throw. The Chinese was far from impressive in Helsinki with his 61.75. Gowda happened to be the best among the Asians, during the qualification round, with a throw of 62.04. Iranian Abbas Samimi managed only 61.04.

Li Rongxiang looks formidable in men’s Javelin Throw and should clinch his third title in a row. Indian Jagdish Bishnoi, who has a 77.17 in the last domestic meet in the lead-up to the Championships, is far too inconsistent to pose a real threat to the Chinese. The usual challenge from Uzbek Sergey Voynov should be expected.

Zhang Wenxiu poses great threat to Gu Yuan

Huang Xiaoxiao, Huang Qiuyan and Li Meiju also look poised for a repeat but there could be a serious challenge to Gu Yuan’s hammer title, not from anywhere else but from team-mate and Asian leader, Zhang Wenxiu, who threw to an Asian record distance of 73.24 metres at home in June this year. Gu Yuan had won the gold on the last two occasions.

China’s dominance in the women’s long distance events could be seriously eroded in the absence of Xing Huina and Sun Yingjie, but the throws look likely to go the Chinese way without much sweat. Discus thrower Song Aimin, who was a disappointment at the Helsinki Worlds, with just 57.90 in the final for her 10th place, should come into her own against some mediocre opposition expected from the Indians.

India’s former World Junior bronze medallist Seema Antil, but she as well as the other Indian, debutant Krishna Poonia, look unlikely to come anywhere near the standards that Song Aimin has shown. The Chinese had a 65.23 at Sidoarjo, Indonesia, in one of the Asian Grand Prix meets in June.

Shaheen to make up for best Bahrainis absence

After its outstanding success at the World Championships, Bahrain could have been expected to parade its full might at Incheon, but the Gulf nation that has `imported’ athletes from Morocco, Kenya and Ethiopia, has chosen to enter just two male athletes, Belal Mansour Ali, who was seventh in the 800 in Helsinki and steeplechaser Tareq Mubarak Taher who finished 15th and last.

It is a pity that Korea and the rest of Asia will not be witnessing the prowess of Rashid Ramzi, the first man to score the World championship 800-1500 double, or for that matter Maryam Yusuf Jamal, who though she failed to medal at the Worlds, could have been expected to dominate the middle distance events here.

So, who can challenge China’s supremacy? Qatar did put up a brave effort in Colombo by winning eight gold to China’s 10, but was down to just six gold in Manila, Saif Saaeed Shaheen not contributing to the golden collection, getting beaten in the 1500m (incidentally by Ramzi) and 5000m. This time, though, he should be running on the safer ground of his specialist 3000m Steeplechase discipline, it seems.

Another man with Kenyan roots and now in the maroon Qatari colors is James Kwalia who should square up with Saudi Arabian Moukhled Al-Otaibi in the men’s 5000 metres. Al-Outaibi’s Asian record of 12:58.58, was clocked in Heusden last month, while Kwalia has a best of 12:54.58 (2003). The Qatari’s best this season is his Helsinki qualifying effort of 13:21.36. Al-Outaibi had a 13:20.06 in the preliminary round and more importantly he placed ninth, four rungs above Kwalia, in the final.

This pairing should lead to an engrossing 5000m duel, in probably ideal weather conditions (temperatures range between 17 and 26 degrees Celsius these days), just as we had witnessed on the last occasion when Shaheen was beaten by team-mate Abdulaziz Al-Ameeri in the last few metres.

Shot chance too

Qatar should also be hoping to strike gold in the men’s Shot Put, where veteran Saad Billal Mubarak will be absent. In his place, Qatar will have a brand new challenger to take on the Indians, Khaled Habash Al-Suwaidi. The 21-year-old Qatari had finished with the bronze on the last occasion with 18.57, but had posted a National record of 19.93 last year.

In April this year Al-Suwaidi had a 21.07 at Manama, but it was probably with an irregular implement. And then came his 20.54 at Minsk, Belarus, in June, which if ratified, this will be the new Asian record, displacing Kazakh Sergey Rubatsov’s nine-year-old mark of 20.45 metres.

If Mubarak is not there, another veteran will be in the fray to test Al-Suwaidi. India’s Shakti Singh, all of 43 summers and still looking eager than ever before, is in the team, along with the younger, higher-ranked Navpreet Singh. Shakti’s best this season is 18.80 while Navpreet has a 19.60. Shakti who holds the Indian record at 20.42 won the silver last time.

Apart from the Shot Put and 5000m, Qatar took gold medals last time through Adam Abdou Adam (800m), Abdullah Ahmed Hassan (10,000m), Khamis Sief Abdullah (3000m Steeplechase) and Mubarak Sultan Al-Nubi.

Interesting 400m and 400m Hurdles

The distance events could again be in Qatar’s bag plus of course the expected 3000m Steeplechase title through Shaheen, but both in 800 metres and the 400m Hurdles, there could be a serious challenge to the Qataris.

Bahrain’s Belal Mansour Ali, a finalist at Helsinki and Saudi Arabian M. Obaid Al-Salhi should make things very hot for the two Qataris, Majed Saeed Sultan and Abdulrahman Suleiman in the 800 metres. And in the 400m Hurdles, Al-Nubi will cross swords with Saudi Arabian Hadi Soua’an Al-Somaily, the Sydney Olympics silver winner who is trained of course by John Smith.

Saudi Arabia should also be banking, as usual, on the Al-Bishi brothers, Hamed and Hamdan, who should be top contenders in the 200 metres and 400 metres respectively.

But some familiar names are missing

Some of the regulars will be missing. Kazakhstan does not have sprinter Gennadiy Chernovol, who took the 100 silver in Manila. Sri Lanka does not have Susanthika Jayasinghe, the country’s best known face in global athletics. She had been nursing an injury for a year now and is expected to get back into training only in October. Sri Lanka also will be without its trusted one-lap specialist, Sugath Tillakeratne, also injured.

Bobby George will make champs debut

A few others, on the other hand, will be making their Asian championships debut. India’s long jumper Anju George and discus thrower Vikas Gowda will come in this category. Though George, India’s lone World championship medal winner two years ago, had been around for some time, she had not competed in the Asian meet. She should start favourite here especially with Chinese Guan Yingnan, who has a 6.78 this season, being absent. Gowda, as discussed earlier, is one of India’s main gold medal hopes.

By an IAAF Correspondent