Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba in action during the Asian Athletics Championships men’s 400m hurdles at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. Pictures: Baher Amin/The Peninsula
Sensational Abderrahman Samba and promising Abdalla Abubaker yesterday set the Khalifa International Stadium alight, clinching gold medals for hosts Qatar on another eventful day at the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships.
Samba, marked a new Championship Record and World Leading time on his way to victory in men’s 400m hurdles, while Abdalla set a World Leading time in men’s 800m race to win his maiden Asian Championships gold medal.
Jamal Hairan won the first bronze medal for the home side in the same event as four more Championship Records were set on the second day, which saw 12 finals being contested in the Qatari capital.
Also yesterday, Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu and Kazakhstan’s Olga Safronova were declared the fastest athletes of the championships after they won the men and women’s 100m races respectively.
Kiryu recorded the best time of 10.10 while Olga marked a new Championship Record of 11.17.
Samba maintains golden form
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old, Samba, who remained unbeaten last year, resumed the new season in the same style outclassing his opponents with the best-ever time in the championships, clocking 47.51.
Qatar missed out a gold medal in the previous edition of the Asian championships, and Samba was ecstatic to hand a gold medal to Al Anabi.
“I am very happy to win the first gold for Qatar. God willing more will come for us,” Samba said while expressing delight with his new year’s time.
“It was a very good race to start the season with a 47.50s. It’s amazing start for the season. The plan was to push hard in the first 300m. After the 7th hurdle I changed from 13 steps between the hurdles to 14,” he said.
Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chieh (48.92) and India’s Jabir Plliyalil (49.13) secured a silver and bronze medal respectively while Qatar’s Bassem Hemeida finished 4th with a time of 49.45, in the event.
Abdalla, who dominated the qualifying of men’s 800m on the first day, didn’t disappoint in the final, which was dominated by the Qatari runners.
The 22-year-old athlete clocked the World Leading time of 1:44.33 to secure second gold medal for the home team.
“I ran hard from gun to tape and in the end I was rewarded with a new personal best and a World Leading time,” Abdalla said after winning the race.
“I haven’t qualified for a major final yet, hopefully I will be able to make it here in Doha at the IAAF Worlds,” the 22-year-old added.
Hairane won bronze with a time of 1:47.27, finishing just behind Kuwait’s Ebrahim Alzofairi (1:46.88). Another Qatari runner Saeed Hassan finished 4th with a time of 1:47.71.
“We followed our coach’s plan with an aim to make a clean sweep. We didn’t make it but of course we are happy with a gold and a bronze medal,” said Hairane.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Chao-Tsun created a new Championship Record and a World Lead in men’s javelin by claiming a gold with a throw of 86.72, beating India’s Shivpal Singh (86.23) and Japa’s Ryohei Arai (81.93). China’s Wang Zheng also smashed a Championship Record to win the women’s hammer throw final, as she cleared a distance of 75.66. China collected their second gold of the day through Lu Minjia, who won the women’s long jump final with a leap of 6.38.
India join gold medals race with a brace
After several silver and bronze medals, last edition’s toppers India also received a couple of gold medals through Gomathi Marimuthi, who won the women’s 800m final, and Toor Pal Singh who won the men’s shot put final.
Marimuthi recorded her Personal Best time of 2.02.70, prevailing over her Chinese rival Wang Chunyu (2:02.96) and Kazakhstan’s Margarita Mukasheva (2:03.83), who took the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Singh cleared a distance of 20.22 to win over Wu Jiaxiang (CHN) and Ivan Ivanov (KAZ).
Kuwait also opened their account in the gold medals race when sprinter Yousef Karam won the men’s 400 final, clocking his personal best times of 44.84. He edged out GCC rival Abbas Abubaker (BRN) who finished second with a time of 45.14. Mikhail Litvin (KAZ) 45.25 clinched bronze medal with a time of 45.25.
Vietnam’s Quach Thi Lan secured the first gold for her country by winning the women’s 400m hurdles, marking the season best time of 56.10. Aminat Jamal (56.39) added to Bahrain’s medals tally while Indian hurdler Laxmanbhai Saritaben (57.22) took silver in the event.
Uzbekistan also secured their first gold medal, with Rulsan Kurbanov, getting the best mark of 16.93 after a tense men’s triple jump final.
“It was very tight and a real fight against the Chinese who are very best athletes. I am very happy and I hope I will be back for the Worlds at this fantastic stadium,” said Kurbanov after winning the gold medal.
