Previews22 Jun 2004


Asian Grand Prix gets set for third season - PREVIEW

FacebookTwitterEmail

Hamdan Al Bishi (KSA) (© Getty Images)

The stage is set for the third season of Asian Grand Prix athletics which starts this year with a Thai flavour. The Thai city of Songkla will host the first leg of the three leg 2004 Asian Grand Prix series which begins tomorrow Wednesday (23 June).

A total of top 160 athletes, mainly the top three ranked for each event in Asia, have arrived in Thailand for the event which would commence at 4pm. local time with a colourful opening ceremony which will depict Thai culture and traditions.

The 160 foreign athletes will be joined by another 40 athletes from Thailand as each of the three host countries have been given bonus entries. Similarly, when Sri Lanka hosts the second leg in Colombo on June 27 and the Philippines stages the third leg in Manila on July 1, they will get additional two entries for each event. The top 160 athletes will compete in all three meets.

The showpiece track events of the Asian Grand Prix Series are likely to be the women’s 200m and men’s 400m.

Women’s 200m – Busan gold versus Sydney bronze

In the women's 200m, Sydney Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe (SRI) will come across 2002 Busan Asian Games gold medallist Saraswathi Saha (IND). Having won the women's 100m gold in Busan, the Lankan lass pulled out of women's 200m final of the last Asian Games, which was won by Saha.

The 2004 South Asian Games 100m gold medallist, Jani Chathurangani Silva (SRI) is down to run in women's 200m, along with Lyubov Perepelova (UZB), Lisha Chen (CHN), Guzet Khubbieva (UZB) and Ayumi Susuki (JPN).

Jayasinghe has been keeping a low profile in her lead up to the 2004 Grand Prix Series. She has been making calm, slow and steady preparations for the important task ahead, working on schedules drawn up for her American coach Tony Campbell. She has been in constant touch with Campbell who guided her to an historic Olympic bronze, Sri Lanka's first in 52 years, in the Sydney Games four years ago.

Surprisingly, Jayasinghe is unlikely to compete in the women's 100m, in which she would also be the favourite. Possibly Jayasinghe wants to concentrate fully on her pet event as she has yet to qualify for the Athens Olympics in the 200m, though she has already gained the qualifying standard in women's 100m.
The women's 100m line up would see Perepelova, Qin Wangping (CHN), Khubbieva, Zhu Jaunhong (CHN), Klomdee Orranut (THA) and Silva.

Men’s 400m – Al Bishi versus Rohan Pradeep

The men's 400m event should turn out to be a thriller with the fancied Hamdan Al Bishi (KSA) set to face come stiff competition from Asian Championship double gold medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara Fernando (SRI), and former Asian Games gold medallist, Sugath Tillakaratne (SRI). Al Bishi is currently placed 16th in the IAAF's World Ranking for the event.

South Asian Games gold medallist Anil Kumar (IND) will run in men's 200m, along with Hamed Al Bishi (KSA), Yaozu Yang (CHN) and Jun He (CHN).

However, Anju George (IND), the IAAF World championship medallist in Paris last year, is unlikely to take part in women's long jump.

Damayanthi Darsha on comeback trail
  
After a one year lay off, Asian Games triple gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha will be running on an international track, having last done so at the 2003 Asian Grand Prix. Since then, a leg injury has forced the double Asian Games 400m gold medallist to skip the IAAF World Championships in Paris, Asian Championships in Manila, and South Asian Games in Islamabad. Yet a fit again Dharsha is confident of winning the 400m tomorrow.

Olympic qualification opportunities

The Asian Grand Prix series will be a big challenge for athletes in the region as it will provide the last realistic opportunities to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens in two month's time.

Qualification could turn out to be particularly tough going in the relays. The top Asian teams are battling for honours to get into the last 16 in the world and qualify for the Athens Games.

Cash awards extended to fourth place finishers

Encouraged by the success of the Asian Grand Prix in 2002 and 2003, the Asia's track and field governing body has decided to offer cash awards even for the competitors who finish fourth. - USD 200 each.

This money comes on top of the USD 2000, 1000 and 500 already offered for the first three places respectively. The figures may not look that impressive compared to IAAF Grand Prix events, but that is certainly big money for the Asian athletes, as most of them rarely get a chance to compete in top World Grand Prix events.

Dinesh Weerawansa for the IAAF

Pages related to this article
Disciplines
Loading...