Scrolling through the recent World Athletics Championships medal table, many would have rubbed their eyes in disbelief. For, sitting on the 37th rung was Asian giant China with just two bronze medals and above it were India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Incidentally, China had finished fifth (six medals, including two golds) and fourth (nine medals, three golds) at the last two World Championships in Oregon (2022) and Doha (2019). With the country hosting the Asian Games in Hangzhou this month, one had expected China to put up a strong show at the Budapest Worlds. But that was not to be.
But don’t be misled by the slip at the Worlds. One can be sure that China will be out in full force at its home Asiad. China did not send many of its top stars, including the 2022 World long jump champion Wang Jianan or Tokyo Olympics silver medallist triple jumper Yaming Zhu, for the Asian Championships in Bangkok in July and though the two did not win medals in Budapest, their performances at the Worlds showed that they are close to their best.
Japan (which topped the Asian Championships medal table with 17 golds out of a total 37 medals), China (second with 8 golds, total 22 medals), and India (third with 6 golds, total 27 medals), appear well prepared for Hangzhou.
India won a total of 16 medals at the last Asian Games in Jakarta 2018 and half of them came from athletics. Manjit Singh (800m), Jinson Johnson (1500m), Arpinder Singh (triple jump), Neeraj Chopra (javelin), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Swapna Barman (heptathlon) and the 4x400m women’s and mixed relays brought the eight golds for India in Jakarta. That was India’s best show in the Asian Games athletics after the inaugural Asiad in Delhi in 1951.
Despite the many disappointments — steeple chaser Avinash Sable, long jumper M. Sreeshankar, triple jumpers Abdulla Aboobacker, Praveen Chithravel and Eldhose Paul and 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji all failed to get past the opening round — India still came with its best-ever performance in Budapest with Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bringing the country its first-ever World Championships gold.
Chasing oneself: If long jumper Shaili Singh is able to repeat her personal best (6.76m), she could pick a gold too. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
And the Indian 4x400m relay men produced a stunner, finishing fifth for its best-ever result at the Worlds and that too with an Asian record (set in qualifying), while Parul Chaudhary also impressed while taking the 11th spot in the 3000m steeplechase with a new national record time of 9:15.31s.
For India, Neeraj Chopra will be the man to watch and his battle with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem — the Budapest Worlds silver medallist — should make for a great rivalry, something which the sport desperately needs, to raise its profile.
Incidentally, four of the top six at the Worlds were from Asia and with India’s Kishore Kumar Jena and D.P. Manu finishing fifth and sixth in Budapest, India could hope for two javelin medals in Hangzhou since only two athletes are allowed in an event (Jena is India’s second entry).
This year has been a long and difficult season for athletes with three majors — Asian Championships, World Championships and Asian Games — happening within the space of two months but the stars who struggled in Budapest will be hungry to get back to medal mode in Hangzhou. The men’s long jump should also be a major event from the Indian angle for Jeswin Aldrin and Sreeshankar were the World No. 1 and 2 this season just before the Budapest Worlds (they have now fallen to No. 3 and 4).
“The men’s long jump will be a very good competition. Taipei’s (Asian champion) Lin Yu-Tang, China’s Wang (Jianan, the 2022 World champion) and Japan’s (Yuki) Hashioka are all there, Jeswin (Aldrin) too,” said the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championship silver medallist Sreeshankar, who despite being in good form, could only manage a best of 7.77m (personal best 8.41m) in Budapest. “I lost my rhythm trying to go for a safe opening jump in Budapest.”
To get the Budapest bitterness off his mind, Sreeshankar went to Zurich soon after the Worlds and finished fifth (7.99m) in the Diamond League meet there.
That should add a bit of confidence as he heads to Hangzhou. Something similar should be on Sable’s mind too. The steeple chaser crashed out in the heats in Budapest after finishing 14th overall, and the fifth place in the Zurich Diamond League a week after the Worlds should pep him up for the Asiad.
Hot shot: Defending champion and Asian record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who skipped the Worlds as he was recovering from a groin injury, will be the favourite in men’s shot put. | Photo Credit: V.V. KRISHNAN
With China’s Yaming Zhu and Yaoqing Fang in the fray, Asian champion Aboobacker and Chithravel will have their hands full in the triple jump, while Parul will face Bahrain’s World champion Winfred Yavi, if she turns up in Hangzhou, in the steeple chase.
Defending champion and Asian record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor (below), who skipped the Worlds as he was recovering from a groin injury, will be the favourite in men’s shot put while Asian champion Jyothi Yarraji’s chances look bright in the women’s sprint hurdles. And if she is able to repeat her personal best (6.76m), long jumper Shaili Singh could pick a gold too.
India has dominated the women’s 4x400m relay, winning gold at the last five editions of the Asian Games, but this time, the mile relay men will begin as the big favourites after their stupendous show in Budapest.
The women’s mile relay team has been hit by doping and injury issues in the last few years. Anjali Devi, the country’s fastest quartermiler this season, failed a dope test recently and is now out. But as we get close to Hangzhou, the girls appear capable of extending the country’s sparkling run in the event.
So will India repeat or better its Jakarta show in Hangzhou?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Comments
SHARE