Indian Athletics – News – Field day for Indian athletes in first leg / Ram. Murali Krishnan /

Bangkok, Thailand – 4 May 2013 – Indian athletes won as much as 4 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals in the first leg of this year’s Asian Grand Prix athletics series held at Thammasat Stadium in the capital of Thailand on Saturday evening.

 As expected one-lapper M.R. Poovamma annexed the gold in women’s 400m clocking a noteworthy 52.97 secs.  The second Indian on the fray, Anu Mariam Jose, finished third in 53.95s behind Sri Lankan Subashini Rasanayake (53.35s).

 In the men’s race Arokia Rajiv, a native of Lalgudi in Tamil Nadu, try to emulate Poovamma but Iran’s World Military Games champion Sajjad Hashemi proved too hard to beat at the end 46.70 to 46.91s.  Hashemi holding the Iranian national record at 45.81s whereas Rajiv’s best to date was 46.57s—clocked twice in the Open Nationals at Chennai last year and Federation Cup in Patiala last week.

 Indian athletes annexed the high jump titles in both men and women divisions.  In men’s event the Indians were 1-2 with Jithin Thomas takes the gold from compatriot Nikhil Chittarasu after the duo scaled an identical 2.18m. 

 Olympian Sahana Kumari was a lucky winner on the distaff side after sharing the same height (1.86m) with Uzbekistan’s Asian Games silver medallist Nadezhda Dusanova.   

 India had another 1-2 when distance runners Nitin Rawat and Kheta Ram garnered gold and silver medals in men’s 5000m.  A sixth place finish when competed with the elite African runners in the Incheon half-marathon earlier this March and the top-spot after a tight finish during the Federtion Cup in Patiala last month, Nitin Rawat emerged as a leading distance runner in the country.  However both Rawat and Kheta Ram need to work further to return their sub-14 performances in the next available opportunity to improve further.

 World championship qualification continue to elude two Indian athletes—hurdler Siddhanth Thingalaya and triple jumper Renjith Maheswary.  Thingalaya clocked 13.88 secs to finish second in 110m hurdles while Renjith also finished second with a leap of 16.83m—a mere 2 cm short for the “B” grade.

 Veteran Roman Valiyev emerged as a winner in triple jump with a grand 17.10m—his second best ever after a phenomenal 17.20m to win his national championship at Almaty last year.  Indian Arpinder Singh, who missed the Moscow qualification by a shade-1 cm-during the FedCup, finished a commendable third in 16.74m.

 Another veteran who stole the limelight once again was Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan in women’s 100m with a time of 11.77 secs.  Khubbieva was a multiple-winner at this event in the Asian GP series of the past.

 India’s Mukesh Kumari collected a bronze medal in the women’s javelin throw (50.56m).  However Indian athletes had a disappointing show in both men’s shot put and relay events.

China’s Wang Li Ke won the shot put by tossing the iron ball to 18.91m.  Indians Om Prakash Singh (17.68m) and Jasdeep Singh (17.50m) finished sixth and seventh respectively.  

 In the men’s 4x100m relay India finished last in 41.24 secs.

 In women’s discus throw, Krishna Poonia barely missed the bronze medal and finished fourth with a throw of 56.31m while the other Indian competitor Navjeet Kaur Dhillon was sixth in 46.96m.

 In women’s events, medals sweeps were achieved by athletes from China in discus throw and Kazakhstan in 100m hurdles.

 The second leg of the Asian Grand Prix will be held at Chonburi in Thailand on 8 May.

 / Ram. Murali Krishnan /