Indian athletes begin impressively at 22nd Asian Athletics Championships




Indian interests on the opening day of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships were high with national record holder Muhammed Anas easing into the semi-finals of the men’s 400m in the morning session. Incheon Asian Games bronze medalist Arokia Rajiv sailed through in first place in Heat 2 of the same race, just as the third Indian participant in the competition, Amoj Jacob also eased into the next round with a first-place finish in Heat 3. The semi-finals will be held in the evening session.

Also Read: Asian Athletics Championships 2017 gets off to colourful start

Anas finished second in Heat 1 behind Sri Lanka’s Dilip Ruwan, while Arokia and Jacob led through the majority of their respective heats to qualify into the next rounds. Asian indoor championships bronze medalist Ahmed Mubarak of Oman was the winner of Heat 4.

The Asian Athletics Championships kicked off at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today, with Chitra PU qualifying for the semi-finals from Heat 2 in the women’s 1500m, while Monika Chaudhary finished in fourth place in Heat 1. In the men’s 1500m, India’s Ajay Kumar Saroj set the pace in Heat 1 of the event and Siddharth Adhikary qualified from Heat 2 with a second-place finish behind Asian Games bronze medal winner Jamal Hairane of Qatar.

India's Chitra P U finished second in the Heat 2 of the Women's 1500m run

India’s Chitra P U finished second in the Heat 2 of the Women’s 1500m run

In the men’s decathlon that kickstarted the proceedings today, Japan’s Kazuya Kawasaki took an early lead with the 100m sprint leg of the event. India’s Abhishek Shetty was playing catch-up in a strong field that includes Asian Championships silver medalist Guo Qi from China.

The men’s high jump also got under way with China’s Asian Games silver medalist Zhang Guowei and others setting a modest qualification standard of 2.10m.

In the evening session on Day 1, national record-holding discus thrower Vikas Gowda will hope to make it a hat-trick of Asian Championship titles after winning gold in Wuhan (2015) and Pune (2013). China’s Ding Bangchao, who cleared the bar at 5.70m in Jinan on May 18, will headline the men’s pole vault final, with still challenge coming from Japan’s Masaki Ejima and Husain Asim Al-Hizam of Saudi Arabia.

The 5000m will see both the men and women lining up for their respective finals, while the women take the field in the javelin, shot put and long jump finals as well. The opening day will be spiced up with the heats of the men’s 100m, which includes the Asian record holder and defending champion Femi Seun Ogunode of Qatar, with national champion and local boy Amiya Kumar Mallick hoping to put up a strong show.

Tags: , , , , ,

Author:

Aspiring Media Enthusiast, Cricket Tragic, Football Fanatic, Avid Reader, Amateur Photographer & Wannabe Sports Writer.

Cricket

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti enjoys gully cricket in Jaipur

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 4th, 2024

Jaipur, 04 February 2024: US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti was in the pink city on Saturday where the Ambassador dropped by Rajasthan Royals’ home stadium ..

Football

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

LALIGA Concludes ‘Extra Time’ Webinar Series

Posted by: Pooja Kamboj on May 16th, 2024

Continuing to work alongside stakeholders from the sports fraternity, LALIGA, the world’s largest football ecosystem, brought the curtains down on this se ..

Tennis

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Leander Paes inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on December 19th, 2023

Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes was recently elected to receive the Ultimate Honor in Tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame &# ..

F1

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Life Lessons learned from Sports & Fitness #TOSBDay

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on September 26th, 2016

Held on Sept 1st, The Outstanding Speakers’ Bureau (TOSB) Twinterview consisted of sports panelists such as Mark Gallagher (Public Speaker on F1 race), Shayam ..

Boxing

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker set for huge showdown

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2018

It looks like it will be a scintillating couple of months for fans of elite boxing. There is the prospect of the rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Saul ‘Ca ..

Other Sports

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

The 2023-24 Season of the Los Angeles Clippers: A Mid-Season Review

Posted by: Vikram Kamboj on February 15th, 2024

As the 2023-24 NBA season approaches the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged as a formidable force in the Western Conference, showcasing their ..

One stop guide to all the latest sports news, reviews, opinions, fixtures and live scores from India and around the world.

Copyright © 2024 | The Sports Mirror