Indian athletes bag first 3 Gold in SAF Games

Colombo, Aug 24 (UNI) Indian athletes made a golden hat-trick, winning first three events on day one of the ongoing 10th SAF Games at the Sugathadasa Stadium here today.

They had a perfect start to the campaign with Saroj Sihag hurling the metal ball to 14.96m in her second effort for the Shot Put Gold.

She started with 14.74, followed up with 14.96 but soon there was a gradual decline, punctuated by a fouled fourth attempt. Saroj, despite winning Gold, could not better Surinderjeet Kaur's 15.52m mark, created in the 1995 Games in Kathmandu.

Sri Lankan MN Muthunayaka won Silver (14.45), while Pakistani Zeenat Parveen won Bronze (14.07). Another Indian, Stephie Rikardoz, finished fifth in the event, with a poor hurl of 12.68.

S Shanti kept the momentum going by winning the 1500m Gold, clocking 4:14.26 even though her effort fell slight short of the existing 4:14.23 record created by Sunitha Rani in Kathmandu. Fellow Indian Sinimol Paulose (4:14.71) settled for the Silver, while Lankan DA Shanika Samanmali bagged Bronze at 4:30.61.

Hamsa Chatholi earned the third Gold for India, timing 3:44.50 in men's 1500m, ahead of the Lankan duo of WMCJ Wijekoon (3:45.60) and PC Chamal (3:53.73).

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