Bobby Aloysius scales to a surprise gold

By K. P. Mohan

JAKARTA, AUG. 29. She had fought a court case to stake her claims for inclusion in the Indian team to the Asian Games two years ago, without success. On Tuesday, Bobby Aloysius gained the Asian championship gold without much of a fight, though her higher target of an Olympics qualification remained unfulfilled at the Madya Stadium here.

The second day of the championships was uneventful to the point of bringing in boredom. It was surprisingly designed that way with just the steeplechase final to provide any kind of excitement on the track. On such a day, it was natural only that Bobby would attract all the Indian attention, though the contest never picked up in the absence of the top Japanese and Chinese. Bobby won on a countback with Marina Korzhova of Kazakhstan, both having cleared 1.83 metres.

There was one duel that really set up a thrilling finale, the one between Svetlana Kazanina and Pramila Ganapathy in the heptathlon. But, though she came up with a career-best 2:13.74 in the 800 metres, Pramila just could not come into contention for the gold, eventually making it a one-horse race. The Kazakh had enough to spare while ensuring the title, which seemed to have been slipping away from her the previous evening as well as this morning.

Wu Ping takes 20km gold

China had its customary gold in the men's 20km walk, this time through Wu Ping, lost one by two centimeters in the men's hammer throw to Japan, while Qatar added to its golden tally through a victory by Abdullah Khamis in the steeplechase.

Namkunha Nattaporn, the Asian Games bronze medallist, grabbed a surprise gold in triple jump, in a field which did not contain the top-ranked Kazakhs, Oleg Sakirkin and Sergey Arzamasov.

The gold was not on Bobby Aloysius's mind when she entered the competition on Tuesday. There were two others who had jumped better than her, that too this season. Asian junior champion Tatyana Effimenko of Kyrgyzstan and Korzhova, fourth at the last Asian junior meet, both had reached the 1.90m this season and as such should have started the favourites.

``It was obviously not their day,'' said Bobby, not over- elated by her success, but all the same happy that the gold was her's. ``I was expecting only the bronze,'' said the modest Kottayam girl, who has had the benefit of training under the Finnish coach Miko Lavola before kicking off her home season this year.

Bobby said that having had a 1.86 at Penang last month, to tie her National mark, she was confident of going up to about 1.90 metres. ``Had the bar been heavier I would have succeeded on the third try at 1.86 metres,'' she said. She had cleared every height up to 1.83 on her first attempt after having started at 1.70, while the Kazakh girl managed her 1.83 clearance only on the third attempt. Both failed at 1.86m, forcing the countback in which Bobby was always better placed.

Pramila was obviously disappointed in not being able to make it to the top after having momentarily led the field in heptathlon following the long jump this morning. She had a 6.38, pushing herself ahead of Kazakhstan's Irina Naumenko, the overnight leader, at 4451 to 4428. Kazanina, the best-rated Asian behind Syrian Ghada Shouaa, now on the injured list, was on 4348 at that stage.

Kazanina decisively nosed ahead in the next event, javelin, with a 45.97 to Pramila's 39.33 and Naumenko's 35.39. Twentyfive points separated the two as they went into the decider, the two- lapper. The Kazakh was too good, and by the 600-metre mark it was clear where the tile was headed. It was 6074 for Kazanina and 6016 for Pramila, her second tally over 6000. Naumenko took the bronze with 5937, while Soma Biswas, though she recovered somewhat in long jump and javelin had to settle for the fourth place at 5890 points.

Disappointing morning session

India has cause for disappointment in the morning session when the men's hammer and walk events provided it with nothing. Pramod Tiwari was far below his best while finishing fifth in hammer at 65.98 metres.

The gold went to Japanese Wataru Ebihara at 69.50 while Chinese Ye Kuigang had the silver with 69.48.

The two giants of the continent, Andrey Abduvaliyev of Uzbekistan and Koji Murofushi of Japan were absent.

India's Gurdev Singh ended up fourth with 1:33:48 in the 20km walk, won by Chinese Wu Ping, comfortably from Japanese Kawai Hironori.

Qatari Khamis Sief Abdullah, leader of the season's charts with 8:17.56 was a runaway winner in the gruelling 3000m steeplechase, though in an ordinary 8:47.33. Saudi Arabian Hasan Al-Asmari came second while in a tough fight for the bronze, Iranian veteran Hamid Sadjadi Hezaveh edged Filipino Eduardo Buenavista.

This was the fourth bronze on the trot for Sadjadi, he having won the gold in Kuala Lumpur in 1991. India had both its runners into the men's 400m final, with Paramjeet looking comfortable while taking the second place behind favourite Ibrahim Ismail of Qatar at 45.92s and P. Ramachandran struggling a little for the third place in the other semifinal at 46.20. Ismail led the qualifiers with a timing of 45.36, followed by Saudi Hamdan Al-Bishi at 45.46.

India also had its lone 800m runners in the men's section, K. M. Binu through to the final, while in the women's 200m, both Rachita Mistry and Vinita Tripathi made it to the final. In the men's 200m, Anil Kumar was pulled out by the team management presumably to have him concentrate on the shorter dash. Ajay Raj Singh went out at the semifinal stage.

Rachita made it as one of the two `best losers', after coming third in one heat at 23.60s while in the official results, Vinita was shown to have beaten Sri Lankan Damayanthi Darsha with a timing of 23.01 seconds to the latter's 23.11.

Actually, Darsha had won the heat. The man in charge of the results at the organizing secretariat explained that the technical officials had cleared the results and the photo-finish people had left for the day. ``We will have to check only tomorrow.''

Till then, Vinita can have a new National record, bettering her own mark of 23.04s clocked at Bangalore on July 5. Of course, that mark is yet to be ratified by the AAFI. This one, if it is okayed by the photo-finish officials on the morrow, can pose another problem for the AAFI. Can the camera lie?

The results: Men: 3000m steeplechase: 1. Khamis Abdullah (Qat) 8:47.33, 2. Hassan Al-Asmari (Sau) 8:52.85, 3. Hamid Sadjadi Hezaveh (Irn) 8:54.07; Triple jump: 1. Namkunha Nattaporn (Tha) 16.53m, 2. Maksim Smetarin (Kgz) 16.33, 3. Salem Al-Muwalled (Sau) 16.24; hammer throw: 1. Wataru Ebihara (Jpn) 69.50m, 2. Ye Kuigang (Chn) 69.48, 3. Nasser Al-Jarallah (Kuw)66.98; 20km walk: 1. Wu Ping (Chn) 1:28:04, 2. Kawai Hironori (Jpn) 1:29:13, 3. Lee Dae-Ro (Kor) 1:30:36.

Women: High jump: 1. Bobby Aloysius (Ind) 1.83m, 2. Marina Korzhova (Kzk) 1.83, 3. Tatyana Effimenko (Kgz) 1.80; heptathlon: 1. Svetlana Kazanina (Kzk) 6074 pts, 2. Pramila Ganapathy (Ind) 6016, 3. irina Naumenko (Kzk) 5937.

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