Anju, Manjeet win Silver each, Gowda disappoints

Doha, Dec 10 (UNI) Star long jumper Anju Bobby George and quarter-miler Manjeet Kaur gave below-par performances but still managed to win a silver each, while discus thrower Vikas Gowda finishing a poor sixth in the athletics competition of the Asian Games here today.

Anju, who had won a Gold in long jump in the last edition of the Games in Busan, jumped 6.52m in her last attempt to be placed second in a strong field of 14 jumpers. Japan's Kumiko Ikeda took the Gold in 6.81 while Kazakhstan's Olga Rypakova was third with 6.49.

Anju's best of this season has been 6.52 while her best has been 6.83 which she achieved in 2004.

The 29-year-old Chennai-based custom officer had jumps of 6.36, 6.46, 6.47 and 6.52 and she fouled her third and fourth attempts.

In the women's 400m race, Punjab Police officer Manjeet Kaur timed 52.17 for Silver while Kazakhstan's Olga Tereshkova won the Gold in 51.86 and Japan's Asami Tanno took a Bronze clocking 53.04.

Both Anju and Manjeet had won Gold medals in their respective events at the Asian meet at Inchon, Korea last year.

In women's 400m race, Punjab Police officer Manjeet timed 52.17 for second place while Kazakhstan's Olga Tereshkova won the Gold in 51.86 while Japan's Asami Tanno took the Bronze clocking 53.04.

Strong contender Pinki Paramanik of finished fourth, timing 53.06.

Pinki got bit rattled after being warned for the false start and when the race started she took off a friction of second late and that made all the difference.

Twenty-four-year-old Jalandhar-based Manjeet, who had a personal best of 51.03 and season's best of 52.06 which she timed during the trials prior to the departure for the Asiad, ran a modest race in a lacklustre field.

The race was hardly exciting as once Olga took the lead she maintained it throughout though the Indian tried hard but near the home stretch Manjit gave up as the Kazhak increased the lead.

Pinki charged midway through the race but her attempt was futile and she finished fourth.

In the men's discus throw, India's best bet Vikas Gowda was a big let down as he finished sixth with a much below par throw of 58.28.

The 23-year-old US-based Gowda had a career best mark of 64.69 which he had achieved at Inchon, Korea last year. The repeat of that performance would have earned the Mysore-born thrower the Gold because winner of the title, Iran's Ehsan Hadadi, claimed the first spot with a season best throw of 63.79.

Hadadi had set an Asian record with 65.25 at Inchon last year where Gowda had finished second.

Gowda started poorly with a throw of 49.56, followed it by 57.74, 57.32, 58.05, 58.28 and 56.76.

Rashid Shafi B Al Dosari of Qatar took the Silver with his season best of 62.11, which he achieved in his last attempt and Saudi Arabia's Sultan Mubarak Al Dawodi bagged bronze with 60.82, coming in third attempt.

In men's 1500m, India's Hamza Chatholi clocked his personal best of 3:43.69 but that was enough only for him to take the seventh place. The 25-year-old service man ran a good race by his standards but the field was too strong and host country's Najm Daham Bashair thrilled the big crowd by winning the Gold in 3:38.06 pipping the more fancied rival Bahrain duo of Belall Mansoor Belal (3:38.08) and Rashid Ramzui (3:38.91).

Earlier in women's 200m first round heat, India's K Chitra Soman failed to qualify as she timed a below-par 24.74 to finish fourth in a six-runner field.

Chitra's personal best is 24.04 and a repeat of that would have enabled her to qualify as the first two qualifiers -- Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan and Japan's Sakie Nobuoka -- timed 23.54 and 24.56 respectively.

In men's decathlon, India's P J Vinod was lying second with 3990 points, behind Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan who is leading the field with 4474 points at the end of four events. Chinese Taipei's Szu Pin Hsiao was at third slot with 3927 points.

UNI HSB RN2254