Date:18/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/18/stories/2006071804222100.htm

Sport - Boxing

Sajeesh, Jhuma bag bronze

MACAU: Hard-earned bronze medals by 800m runners Sajeesh Joseph and Jhuma Khatun plus another won without much sweat by woman pole vaulter Ruchi Tewari brought some cheer back into the Indian camp on the third day of the 12th Asian junior athletics championships here on Monday.

The two-lap bronze medals in the men and women's sections came on expected lines for India on Monday after just a silver on the opening day and no medal on the second day. Joseph clocked a modest 1:53.36 in a slow race behind Masata Yokota of Japan (1:51.34) and Al Saad Deraan of Saudi Arabia (1:53.03). Into the final straight, Joseph was trailing the leaders who broke away at 550m, but the Kerala runner did very well through the last 100 metres to grab the silver. India's Amit Kumar Mishra finished fifth in 1:54.59.

Jhuma also lived up to expectations and could have even won the silver but for being forced to come from the outside on the home straight.

Close finish

Eventually, she made it a close finish with Japanese Kieko Shinada, who took the silver. Jhuma had a 2:09.95 against Shinada's 2:09.70.

Ruchi Tewari won the women's pole vault bronze with a mediocre 3.00 metres since there were just three competitors in the field. China's Zhang Yingning had the gold at 4.20 metres while Malaysian Noor Akma Abdul Fatah won the silver with 3.40.

India had disappointments elsewhere with Arvind Kumar Yadav (33:47.81) and Mohammed Yunus (34:16.67) finishing eighth and ninth in the 10,000 metres among 10 finishers, Mayookha Johny ending sixth in women's triple jump with 12.29 metres and Priyanka Bhanot occupying the 10th place in women's discus with 40.72 metres.

In heptathlon, India's Shilpa Sunder was disqualified in the 200 metres, the fourth event, for cutting the lane.

China took its gold medal tally to 16 with another haul of five gold on the third day. Japan took two of the golds on Monday while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Kazakhstan had one each.

In a rare ending for a 10,000 metres, Mohammad Abduh Bakhet of Qatar and Ali Al Amri of Saudi Arabia were credited with an identical 30:25.03 though the Qatari was adjudged first in the photo-finish. It was the race of the championships.

The results:

Men: 100m: 1. Liang Jiahong (Chn) 10.32, 2. Takweesak Pooltong (Tha) 10.51, 3. Takafumi Kumamoto (Jpn) 10.57; 800m: 1. Masato Yokota (Jpn) 1:51.34, 2. Al Saad Al Deraan (KSA) 1:53.03, 3. Sajeesh Joseph (Ind) 1:53.36; 10,000m: 1. Mohammad Abduh Bakhet (Qat) 3) 30:25.03, 2. Ali A. S. Al Amri (KSA) 30:25.03, 3. Naser Jamal Naser (Qat) 30:33.62; 400m hurdles: 1. Bandar Y. M. Shraheli (KSA) 51.23, 2. Mohammed Y. R. Da'ak (KSA) 51.99, 3. Junya Imai (Jpn) 52.02; High jump: 1. Huang Haiqiang (Chn) 2.20, 2. Torlarp Sudjanta (Tha) 2.18, 3. Vitaliy Tsykunov (Kaz) 2.16;

Women: 100m: 1. Nao Okabe (Jpn) 11.76, 2. Wang Yaqi (Chn) 11.84, 3. Ayaka Takeuchi (Jpn) 12.03; 800m: 1. Tong Xiaomei (Chn) 2:08.10, 2. Kieko Shinada (Jpn) 2:09.70, 3. Jhuma Khatun (Ind) 2:09.95; 400m hurdles: 1. Ghofran Al Mouhmad (Syr) 57.66, 2. Chen Yumei (Chn) 59.52, 3. Li Ling 1:00.34; Pole vault: 1. Zhang Yingning (Chn) 4.20, 2. Noor Akma Abdul Fatah (Mas) 3.40, 3. Ruchi Tewari (Ind) 3.00; Triple jump: 1. Anna Bondarenko (Kaz) 13.18, 2. Tao Yujia (Chn) 13.07, 3. Irina Litvinenko (Kaz) 13.03; Discus: 1. Tan Jian (Chn) 55.74, 2. Wang Bin (Chn) 55.41, 3. Ejima Narumi (Jpn) 48.20.