India claim three medals in athletics
Even as a dope test cast a cloud on the achievements of runner Sunita Rani, India's golden run in athletics continued, with other athletes winning four medals including
a gold to record the country's best ever performance at the Asian Games.
The women's relay team clinched a gold medal in the 4x400 metres while high jumper Bobby Aloysius and the men's 4X400 metres relay team won silver each.
Discus thrower Anil Kumar also chipped in with a bronze
on a fruitful day for the athletes, who swelled their tally to 17 medals -- seven gold, six silver and four bronze -- in the 14th edition of the Games.
However, India found itself in danger of being stripped
of a gold and a bronze medal after distance runner Sunita Rani
tested postive for banned substance Nandrolone.
The first dope test on Rani, who won gold in the women's
1,500 metres after setting a new meet record, and a bronze in the
5,000 metres, came out positive.
Chef de mission of the Indian contingent Jagdish Tytler
said: "We have appealed for a B-sample which will be done on
October 25. Till that time we should not draw conclusions. We
have to wait for the B-sample report."
The women's 4x400 metres relay team, comprising Jincy Phillips,
Manjeet Kaur, Soma Biswas and K M Beenamol stole the limelight
by claiming the gold with a timing of 3:30.84 seconds.
The 26-year-old Bobby Aloysius, who missed a bronze
medal in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, bagged a silver in the high jump here by clearing a height of 1.88 metres though it was short of her personal best of 1.90 metres.
Kazakhstan's Marina Korzhova was also awarded a silver
medal for having cleared 1.88 metres along with Aloysius in the same
number of attempts.
Bobby's effort fell short of Krygyzstan's Tatiana Efimenko, who bagged the gold with a 1.90 metres jump.
The men's 4x400 metres relay team, comprising P Ramachandran,
Manoj Lal, Satbir Singh and Bhupendra Singh, also brought
cheer by scooping the silver medal, returning a
timing of 3:04.22 second.
Saudi Arabia won the gold, clocking 3:02.47 seconds.
Anil Kumar grabbed the bronze medal in the men's discus
throw, achieving a distance of 59.81 metres though he was
expected to do better.
The gold medal in the event was claimed by China's Tao Wu, who had an effort of 60.76 metres while Iran's Abbas Samimi had to be
content with the silver, after throwing 59.81 metres.
Anju Bobby George, who had won a gold medal in the
women's long jump event on the opening day of the athletics
competitions, was distinctly unlucky not to add another medal
to her collection as she finished fourth in the women's triple
jump.
Anju and Kazakhstan's Tatyana Bocharova tied at 13.26 metres but the Kazakh was adjudged the bronze medal winner. China's
Qiuyan Huan got the gold medal, posting a new Asian Games record
of 14.28 metres, eclipsing the previous record of 14.27 metres established
by compatriot Ren Riupeng.
The Indian girl achieved her best jump in the very first
attempt but could not improve upon it in subsequent attempts.
She was in third position till the sixth stage
before Bocharova equalled her in the last attempt.
The Indians were a trifle disappointing in the 4x100 metres relays with the men's and women's teams finishing in fourth and fifth positions respectively.
The men's team, comprising Sanjay Ghosh, Piyush Kumar,
Anand Menezes and Anil Kumar, were far from impressive, finishing with a timing of 39.36 seconds while the Thailand team of Reenchai Seeharwong, Vissanu Sophanich, Ekkachai Janthana
and Sittichai Suwonprateep collected the gold medal with a new
Asian Games record timing of 38.82 seconds.
The women's team of Jayalakshmi, Vinita
Tripathi, Anuradha Biswal and Saraswati Saha finished the race
with a timing of 44.74 seconds, well behind the first four
finishers.