Jinson graceful in defeat as Manjit puts an end to a long wait

Jinson Johnson did not show that he was stunned by the defeat and said that Manjit had not defeated him in the last four years.

Manjit Singh and Jinson Johnson after crossing the finish line in the men's 800m finals during the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He may have been shocked by Manjit Singh’s stunning run that denied him the gold but Jinson Johnson did not show it. He was graceful in defeat.

“I was the best runner here but then, you can’t say anything about a race till it’s over. Somehow, I couldn’t sprint at the end, I think the race was too slow,” said the Asian season leader, the favourite for the gold today.

“But I don’t think Manjit has beaten me in the last three or four years. He did not run the last Asian meet in Bhubaneswar or the previous one in Wuhan. I think he is running a major race after the 2010 Commonwealth Games.”

But Manjit, son of a Haryana farmer, said he had been injured earlier.

“I think I had beaten Jinson when he was a junior many years ago,” he said. “And then came an injury…this gold ends a long wait.”