Jisna Mathews’s easy run to gold

Indians won four other bronze medals on the second day.

Published : Jun 08, 2018 21:25 IST , GIFU

 Senior Asian bronze medallist Jisna Mathew did not have to sweat for her gold and she clocked 53.26s. (File Photo)
Senior Asian bronze medallist Jisna Mathew did not have to sweat for her gold and she clocked 53.26s. (File Photo)
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Senior Asian bronze medallist Jisna Mathew did not have to sweat for her gold and she clocked 53.26s. (File Photo)

Olympian Jisna Mathew retained her women’s 400m gold comfortably, while men’s long jumper M. Sreeshankar, making a comeback following an appendicitis surgery, took a bronze in the 18th Asian junior athletics championships, here, on Friday.

Indians won four other bronze medals on the second day. Senior Asian bronze medallist Jisna, who is coached by P.T. Usha, did not have to sweat for her gold and she clocked 53.26s to finish well ahead of Sri Lankan Dilshi Kumarasinghe (54.03). The Kerala girl will also be running the 200m, here.

Sreeshankar, who leads the junior world list this season with his 7.99m in the Federation Cup in March, clearly was not targeting any medals at Gifu. With the under-20 Worlds in Finland and the Asian Games in Jakarta lined up in the next two months, he just wanted to get the feel back.

The 19-year-old from Palakkad was in the fifth spot after the third round, but his next effort (7.47m) turned out to be a medal jump. Japan’s Yugo Sakai won the gold with 7.61m.

READ: Indians raise hopes of a strong show at Asian junior athletics

‘MEDAL’S COLOUR DOES NOT MATTER’

“I am not happy with the performance, but definitely happy with the bronze, especially after what I went through in the last few months,” Sreeshankar told Sportstar on Friday night.

“The colour of the medal does not matter at all. My approach did not go very well, but this is the first time I am doing a full run-up after the surgery so it was okay.”

The other Indian long jumper, Karnataka’s S. Lokesh, was seventh with 7.36m. Shot putter Ajay Bhalothia, who has a personal best of 18.53m, began with a couple of weak throws before getting into the 18m range and had a day’s best of 18.22m for the bronze.

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Abhinaya Shetty equalled her personal best 1.75m to take the women’s high jump bronze, while UP’s Karthik Kumar in the men’s 10,000m and Maharashtra’s Durga Deore (women’s 1500m) brought the other bronze medals.

The results (gold medallists and Indians):

Men: 100m: 1. Lalu Muhammed Zohri (Ino) 10.27s (Gurvinder Singh, Ind, fourth in heats with 11.09s).

400m: 1. Aruna Dharshana (SL) 45.79s.

1500m: 1. M.K. A. Saife Saifeldin (Qat), 3:49.30s, 4. Ankit (Ind), 6. Ajeet Kumar (Ind) – timings not available.

10,000m: 1. Suo Lang Cairn (Chn) 30:01.51s, 3. Kartik Kumar (Ind) 30:05.30, 9. Gurpreet (Ind).

Long jump: 1. Yugo Sakai (Jpn) 7.61m, 3. M. Sreeshankar (Ind) 7.47, 7. S. Lokesh (Ind) 7.36.

Shot put: 1. Ibrahim Moaaz Mohammed (Qat) 18.57m, 3. Ashish Bhalothia (Ind) 18.22.

Decathlon: 1. Wang Chen-Yu (TPE) 7200 pts.

10,000m race walk: 1. Hao Gong (Chn) 42:47.98s, Sanjay Kumar (Ind) DNF, Juned (Ind) DQ.

Women: 100m: 1. Feng Lulu (Chn) 11.68s.

400m: 1. Jisna Mathew (Ind) 53.26s.

1500m: 1. Ririka Hironaka (Jpn) 4:17.62s, 3. Durga Deore (Ind) 4:24.56.

High jump: 1. Maryam Abdulelah (Irq) 1.80m, 3. Abhinaya Shetty (Ind) 1.75, 5. Gracena Merly (Ind) 1.72.

Javelin throw: 1. Li Hui-Jun (TPE) 55.36m.

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Joy for Ashish Jakhar, relief for Priyadarshini

He has been on a record-breaking run the last few years. Defending champion Ashish Jakhar did it again at the 18th Asian junior athletics championships in Gifu, Japan, on Thursday, breaking his own under-20 national record by nearly two metres, as he won the men’s hammer throw gold with a massive 76.86m.

That made the 19-year-old from Haryana the fourth best junior thrower in the world in 2018. There was double joy for India as Damneet Singh, the under-18 Worlds silver medallist in Nairobi in 2017, won the silver with a personal best 74.08m. The two had qualified for the under-20 World Championships, in Finland in July, earlier.

Meanwhile, Chennai triple jumper Priyadharshini Suresh who missed the cut for the under-20 Worlds at the recent junior South Asian meet as her gold-winning effort of 12.90m was wind-assisted, was troubled by strong winds again, but still managed to make the entry standard on her way to the bronze.

PRIYADHARSHINI QUALIFIES FOR UNDER-20 WORLDS

Though Priyadarshini’s second round of 13.08m, that fetched her the bronze, was wind-assisted (+3.2), she had three more wind-legal jumps above 13m that easily beat the under-20 entry standard of 12.85m.

It looked like the 19-year-old Priyadharshini was just making sure she got them right this time. Her best wind-legal 13.07m will place her among the top 15 junior jumpers in the world in 2018. Kerala’s Sandra Babu was fourth with 12.70m.

Vietnam’s Vu Thi Ngoc Ha, who had just two clear jumps, won the gold with a wind-assisted opening effort of 13.22m (wind +3.2).

One more bronze came through Maharashtra’s Poonam Sonune in the women’s 5000m. with her teammate Suman Rani, the Junior Federation Cup champion, finishing fifth.

ALSO READ: Sreeshankar is back, focused and stronger

JISNA IN 400M FINAL

Meanwhile, Jisna Mathew, the defending champion in the women’s 400m, topped her heat and comfortably qualified for the final with 54.78s, but her teammate, Haryana’s Rachna, was fifth in her heat in a slow 58.07 and failed to make the cut. Plus, in the men’s 1500m, two Indians, Ajit Kumar and Ankit, qualified for the final.

The results (gold medallists and Indian performances):

Men: Pole vault: 1. Syunto Ozaki (Jpn) 5.20m.

Hammer throw: 1. Ashish Jakhar (Ind) 76.86m, 2. Damneet Singh (Ind) 74.08.

Women: 5000m: 1. Yada Mikuni (Jpn) 16:31.65s, 3. Poonam Sonuni (Ind) 17:03.75, 5. Suman Rani (Ind) 18:05.71.

Triple jump: 1. Vu Thi Ngoc Ha (Vie) 13.22m, 3. Priyadarshini Suresh (Ind) 13.08, 4. Sandra Babu (Ind) 12.70.

Shot put: (Kiran Baliyan and Anamika Das are fifth and sixth)

Hammer throw: 1. Zhou Mengyuan (Chn) 64.81m.

10,000m race walk: 1. Ma Li (Chi) 42:20.59s MR (OR 46:17.44).

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