Some gains, some losses for China

CHINA IS the numero uno in Asian athletics. Or should we say `was'. Perhaps even such an assessment might be wrong. It is true that there had been an erosion of Chinese supremacy in Asian athletics in recent years, characterised so tellingly by the `great fall' in the Bangkok Asian Games two years ago. Yet, the Asian superpower is in no mood to relent having gained some ground in the women's middle and long distance events through the hard work put in all over again by the celebrated coach Ma Junren.

As we go into another edition of the Asian athletic championships in Jakarta, from August 28 to 31, it is time to evaluate the overall scene and take note of the gains and losses of the major athletic powers in the continent in the post-Bangkok Asiad phase.

Twentynine of the 43 gold medals was China's tally in the Asian Games at home in 1990, including all but one in the women's section. Four years later, at Hiroshima, that collection had come down to 22, some sort of a loosening of the grip which was still strong enough to keep the rest at some distance.

In Fukuoka, at the 12th edition of the Asian championships in 1998, the Chinese gold tally was again an imposing 26. But when the Asian Games came around later that year, the number of track and field gold medals had shrunk to 15. Japan, India and Indonesia were among the gainers as the bulk of the Chinese losses came in the women's middle and long distance events.

It is here that China has seemingly plugged the erosion and consolidated its position, thanks to Ma Junren, the revolutionary coach who first came into prominence in 1993 when the Chinese women swept almost everything upwards of 800m on the track at the Stuttgart World championships.

Since then Ma and his army had their ups and downs. The initial brigade had broken up, with Wang Junxia, the Olympic and world champion, at the helm of the revolt. Ma himself had come through critical health problems not to speak of an accident, but recent reports suggest that his trainees might be on their way to re- establishing the Chinese hold in some of the middle distance events. A medal or two in the Sydney Olympics, though it is not going to be easy, will certainly put Chinese athletics back on the rails.

It is not clear whether any of Ma's trainees would be making the trip to Jakarta or not. At the best of times, Ma had kept some of his stars away from Asian gaze, while preparing teams for the Olympic Games and World championships. This was so in 1998 when his trainees stayed away from the second half of the circuit at home, thereby dropping out of the race for places in the team to Fukuoka and Bangkok. The overall Chinese response to this continental meet, however, had always been very positive and we have to hope that Ma will allow his athletes to run in Jakarta, barring those in the distance events.

A look at the interim Asian lists for the year, prepared by the German, Heinrich Hubbeling, shows that China tops in just two of the 22 men's events, competitions in which would be held at Jakarta. These are the 110m hurdles, where Chen Yanho is a cut above the rest at 13.55 seconds, and the long jump in which Wang Cheng has a mark of 8.16 metres. The Chinese men have gradually lost out to the Japanese in the sprints and their hold on throws is no longer as firm as it used to be since the arrival of the Central Asian Republics.

Japan leads the list with eight toppers including both the sprints and a traditional strong-hold of the Chinese, the 20km walk. Qatar, which gave some ground away to Sri Lanka both at Fukuoka and Bangkok, when Sugath Tillakeratne clobbered the 400m field, has regained its strong suits. The gulf country leads in four events including the 400m, where Ibrahim Ismail has a 44.80s, clocked in Sofia, Sri Lankans Rohan Pradeep Kumara (45.25s) and Tillakeratne (45.31) follow. Paramjeet Singh's 45.56 puts him at fifth place behind Hamdan Obah Al-Bishi, the Saudi Arabian silver winner of last year's Asian junior championship, who has a 45.41.

An exchange of places between Qatar and Japan, if one may call that, has put Kiyoharu Sato on top of the 1500m lists, with Asian record holder Mohamed Suleiman at the No. 2 slot, and Ahmed Ibrahim Warsama at the No. 1 position in the 5000 metres, with Asian record holder and the defending Asian champion, Toshinari Takaoka, just behind him. These exchanges need not be a `friendly' one in the longer run and we are sure to see a reversal of the order before the season is out, if not at Jakarta itself. Incidentally, Warsama missed the Asian record (13:13.40) by a bare 0.12 seconds at a meet in Heusden on August 5.

If Suleiman makes it to Jakarta, it will of course depend much on which event or events he will choose. His 3:39.88, just 0.28 behind Sato, indicates that he is still a good enough bet at the Asian level in the metric mile. The 31-year-old Qatari is quite capable of repeating the 1500-5000 double he had at Bangkok, though the Olympics might just deter him in exerting himself.

India is ahead in two events, shot put in which Shakti Singh reached an Asian record of 20.60m (not ratified) in Bangalore on July 5, and the 4x400m relay, the team of Lijo David, P. Ramachandran, Jata Shankar and Paramjeet Singh having clocked 3:02.88 during the inter-State meet in Chennai. The Indians, with Bahadur Singh also at 19m-plus, are well ahead of the rest in shot put and should sweep at Jakarta if home performances were to be repeated. Record holder Sergey Rubatsov of Kazakhstan is at 19.92, while Qatar's Saad Bilal Mubarak has a best of 19.40.

Unlike the men's, the women's events show that China has the dominance with leads in 10 events. Compared to the early 90s, this might be peanuts for the Chinese, but the one comforting thought could be in the long haul back in 800m, 1500m and 5000m, two of them through Ma's trainees.

Wang Yuanping, so comprehensively beaten by Jyotirmoyee Sikdar and K. C. Rosakutty at Bangkok two years ago, has regained her position in the 800 metres with a 2:00.63. Geeta Manral's 2:03.67, her career-best at Chennai, is only eighth on the chart, but in terms of medal chances at Jakarta, her's should be bright as only the Chinese and Indians (Sunita Rani and Madhuri Singh) are ahead of her. Injury forced Sunita out of the team, while Madhuri quite mysteriously went out of the competitive scene after the first phase and has not been selected in the team.

Ma's proteges Lan Lixin (1500m) and Dong Yanmei (5000m) are clearly superior to the others in their respective events. The 5000m also shows another Ma trainee, Yin Lili at No. 2 while she is third in the 1500m, where too India is nursing some hopes through Geeta Manral and Rosakutty. If the top two Chinese are coming, the fight could well be for the bronze.

What floored China at Bangkok was a drastic slump in its track standards and though some salvaging operation had been carried out in the middle distance and long distance events, the sprints have remained below par. The reports that Lie Xuemei, the Asian record holder in the 100m, might be skipping the meet (even the Olympics) because of an injury, should thus come as a disappointment.

Of interest will be the way Uzbek Lyubov Perepelova lives up to her No. 1 billing in the 100m (11.04s) and how she tackles Sri Lankan Susanthika Jayasinghe, if the latter comes, in both the sprints. Jayasinghe, incidentally, leads in the 200m with a time of 22.71 secs.

India has a No. 1 place in an individual event on the track, apart from both the relays and the heptathlon, in the ranking charts. That has come through K. M. Beenamol, whose 51.21s at the IAAF Permit meet in Kiev, comfortably beats the 52.12 that the Asian and Asian Games champion Damayanthi Darsha returned in the National championships in Colombo. Beenamol has the unenviable task of locking horns with the double gold medallist of the last Asian Games in order to establish that she has eventually grown out of her `promising' image.

Soma Biswas (6186 points) and Pramila Ganapathy (6105) crossing the 6000-mark in heptathlon after a pulsating battle for the top spot at the Chennai inter-State, was heady stuff.

Quite predictably they have the first and third slots in the rankings, with Kazak Svetlana Kazanina (6161) coming in between. It is for Soma and Pramila to prove that they have it in them to rule Asia from now on in an event which had languished at home but was given a huge fillip in Asia when Syrian Ghada Shouaa won the Olympics last time. Shouaa is reportedly battling injuries now.

In all the women's throws, barring shot put, it could well turn out to be a clash between the Chinese and the Indians, with the odd Japanese intruding. Neelam Jaswant Singh is No. 2 in discus behind Chinese Yu Xin (64.53), while K. Jebeshori Devi in hammer is at the 10th spot. The top six places are occupied by the Chinese with Zhao Wei having had an Asian record of 65.70 in May.

Four Chinese are ahead of javelin thrower Gurmeet Kaur, with Li Lei having reached an Asian mark of 63.69 in June. A medal should be there for the asking for Gurmeet unless she hits one of her typical low patches.

Eventually, it will boil down to who all are there, with Olympics just three weeks away after the finish at Jakarta. Many a medal calculation can go wrong if the field is complete with all the top- notchers. Asian meets are rarely like that, though.

K. P. MOHAN

New Delhi

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