Asian Cross Country C’ships: Sanjivani takes bronze

Sanjivani Jadhav’s performance in the eight-kilometre event also helped India finish third in the women’s team championship.

Maharashtra's Sanjivani Jadhav who won the women's bronze at the Asian Cross Country Championships in China on Thursday.

Maharashtra’s Sanjivani Jadhav, the World University Games 10,000m silver medallist last year, won the women’s bronze in the 14th Asian Cross Country Championships at Guiyang, China, on Thursday.

Sanjivani’s performance in the 8km event also helped India finish third in the women’s team championship. The women’s field had another prominent Indian, Maharashtra’s Lalita Babar who was making a comeback to the international circuit after her marriage, and the Olympian finished 15th.

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Lalita came up with India’s best performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, finishing 10th in the 3000m steeple chase.

Meanwhile, National champion Shankar Man Thapa (Services), with ninth, was the best finisher in the men’s event while Ajay K. Bhind was 10th in the junior men’s section. And in the junior women’s category, there were two Indians in the top ten, including Maharashtra’s Poonam Sonune, who was sixth.

• Men (12km): 1. Peng Jianhua (Chn) 38:22s, 2. Nishiyama Kazuya (Jpn) 38:26, 3. Imanshi Siunsuke (Jpn) 38:28; 9. Shankar Man Thapa (Ind) 39:48, 11. Pradeep Singh Chaudhary (Ind) 40:03, 14. Arjun Kumar (Ind) 40:17, 15. Ratti Ram Saini (Ind) 40:39. Team championship: 1. Japan, 2. China, 2. Iran, 4. India.
• Junior men (8km): 1. Suolang Cairen (Chn) 25:35s, 2. Yuhi Nakaya (Jpn) 25:39, 3. Tazawa Ren (Jpn) 25:42; 10. Ajay K. Bhind (Ind) 27:01, 11. Shyam (Ind) 27:24, 15. Bahadur Patel (Ind) 28:25. Team championship: 1. Japan, 2. China, 3. Iran.
• Women (8km): 1. Li Dan (Chn) 28:03s, 2. Abe Yukari (Jpn) 28:06, 3. Sanjivani B. Jadhav (Ind) 28:19; 11. Swati Gadhave (Ind) 30:18, 14. Jhuma Khatum (Ind) 32:14, 15. Lalita S. Babar (Ind) 32:53. Team championship: 1. Japan, 2. China, 3. India.
• Junior women (6km): 1. Wada Yuna (Jpn) 20:43s, 2. Hironaka Ririka (Jpn) 20;45, 3. Takamatsu Tomomi Musembi (Jpn) 20:48; 6. Poonam D. Sonune (Ind) 22:45, 10. Prabhjot Kaur (Ind) 28:59. Team championship: 1. Japan, 2. China.