Date:16/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/16/stories/2008021660761900.htm

Sport - Athletics

Gold for Preeja

DOHA: Preeja Sreedharan won the second gold medal for India in the third Asian indoor athletics championships, claiming the 3000 metres in a three-woman field in a championship record time of 9:12.26 at the Aspire Academy here on Friday.

Team-mate Kavita Raut claimed the silver in 9:26.01 while Bahrain’s Sara Yaqoob Bakheet took the bronze in 9:40.47.

Chatholi Hamza ran a personal best 3:41.18 but still could manage only the silver in the men’s 1500 metres on the second day of the third Asian indoor athletics championships at the Aspire Academy here on Friday. The Indian who finished behind host team’s Thamer Ali (3:40.86) had the satisfaction of bettering the qualifying standard (3:43.00)for the World Indoor championships thus living up to coach Nikolai Snesarev’s expectations.

Triple jumper Amarjeet Singh (16.26m) added silver to India’s tally, coming second to Kazakhstan’s Roman Valiyev (16.32m) while Mandeep Kaur and V. Leelavathi won bronze medals in the women’s 400 metres and 60m hurdles respectively.

Sajeesh Joseph (1:50.78) and Rajeev Ramesan (1:52.98) came second in their respective semifinal heats while qualifying for the 800m final. The favourite, Youssef Saad Kamel of Bahrain, timed 1:50.36 while winning one of the heats.

Indian P. J. Vinod was lying second in the heptathlon after four events with a tally of 3111, behind Iranian Hadi Sepehrzad who had 3208 points.

On Thursday, Indians J. J. Shobha (3860) and V. Leelavathi (3447) ended fourth and fifth in the women’s pentathlon. Kazakhstan’s Irina Naumenko, the Asian outdoor champion, won the gold with 4235 points. Thai Wassana Winatho (4184) and Kazakh Olga Lapina (3906) claimed the silver and bronze.

The results: Men: 400m: 1. Liu Xiaosheng (Chn) 47.28 (NMR), 2. Sergey Zailkov (Kaz) 48.12, 3. Ali Shirook (UAE) 48.24; 1,500m: 1. Thamer Ali (Qat) 3:40.86, 2. Chatholi Hamza (Ind) 3:41.18, 3. Abubaker Kamal (Qat) 3:42.50; 60m hurdles: 1. Ji Wei (Chn) 7.79, 2. Abdul Rashid (Pak) 7.98, 3. Muhammad Sajjad (Pak) 8.01; Pole vault: 1. Daichi Sawano (Jpn) 5.45, 2. Leonid Andreev (Uzb) 5.35, 3. Takafumi Suzuki (Jpn) 5.35; Triple jump: 1. Roman Valiyev (Kaz) 16.32, 2. Amarjeet Singh (Ind) 16.26, 3. Teerayut Philakong (Tha) 16.04.

Women: 400m: 1. Rakia Al-Ghasara (Brn) 53.28 (NMR), 2.Marina Maslenko (Kaz) 53.38, 3. Mandeep Kaur (Ind) 54.28; 3000m: 1. Preeja Sreedharan (Ind) 9: 12.26 (NMR), 2. Kavita Raut (Ind) 9:26.01, 3. Sara Yaqoob Bakheet (Brn) 9:40.47; 60m hurdles: 1. Li Jing (chn) 8.31 (NMR), 2. Anastasiya Sprunova (Kaz) 8.34, 3. V. Leelavathi (Ind) 9.21.