India cash in on their chance
Rajeev K, DH News Service, Bhubaneshwar, Jul 11 2017, 1:27 IST
Host athletes hit a jackpot after top names from big nations stayed away
bright spot:India's G Lakshmanan completed a distance double by winning the 5000 and 10000-metre gold. AFP
As fireworks lit up the cloudy sky to mark the conclusion of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships on Sunday night, India’s athletes and officials sported the broadest of smiles.
And why not? For the first time in history, they had topped the medals table, the organisation of the meet had earned kudos from all quarters and there were a clutch of impressive performances offering hope for the future.
Twelve gold medals, five silver and 12 bronze medals were India's biggest haul since the start of the Asian Championships in 1973. China, the giants of the continent, were pushed to second spot with eight gold while Japan didn’t win even a single gold medal, for the first time in the championship’s history.
For the fans who packed the Kalinga Stadium on all four days, these were reasons enough to celebrate but for the followers of track and field, it was obvious that the flurry of medal successes was not solely due to a sudden improvement in the Indian performances.
The two leading nations in the continent didn’t bring their top talent to Bhubaneswar while the gulf nations, powerhouses in middle and long distance events, also adopted a lukewarm approach. Bahrain didn’t even turn up, leaving a big void in distance races.
Indeed, the proximity to the World Championships — scheduled in London from August 4 to 13 — affected the participation. The Asian meet was scheduled in June but when Ranchi, the original hosts, pulled out, it left the Asian Athletics Association with no choice than postponing it by a month, so that the new hosts had some time to get the facilities ready.
It affected the overall quality of competitions but the Indians weren’t complaining, especially with the gold medals here – barring relays -- coming with the bonus of a spot at the World Championships. Some had already made it while others eagerly grabbed the chance.
Standing out in the Indian show was javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. The field in his event was strong and the competition was tough but Chopra lived up to his reputation as one of the top throwers in the world with his 85.23M effort in the final round. The junior world champion has plenty of promises to keep.
Champions in three other events also did not have the luxury of competing against weak opposition. Women’s 400M runner Nirmala Sheoran had the best time in the continent prior to the championships and she didn’t disappoint one bit but behind her in bronze position was the future of the event in India. Jisna Mathew would have hoped to do better in the individual race but her potential was on full view in the relay when she bridged a 10M gap to play a key role in India’s gold medal win.
Swapna Barman in heptathlon too was the favourite heading into the Asians. The 20-year-old amply justified it, marking her rise with another career-best performance but had to weather a strong and unexpected challenge from Japan’s Meg Hemphill. Her performance of 1.86 in heptathlon high jump was good enough to win the gold in individual event.
In men’s middle and long distance events, Ajay Kumar Saroj and G Lakshmanan thrived in humid conditions, Lakshmanan notched the first 5000-10000 double by an Indian in the Asian meet while Saroj broke a 28-year drought in the 1500M with his confident run.
Thanks to depleted fields, unexpected gold medals fell into the Indian kitty through P U Chitra (1500M) and Manpreet Kaur (shot put). Bahrain champion Ruth Jebet’s absence had made Sudha Singh a winner even before the race in the 3000M steeple chase while Muhammed Anas would have met with stronger opposition had the Japanese entered in the men’s 400M. As such, Anas proved a cut above, enhancing his reputation.
The pull-out of Tintu Luka due to illness and the disqualification of Archana Adhav hit India hard in the women's 800M. Archana, stripped of the gold for obstructing her Sri Lankan rival, would do well if she takes it as a learning experience.
Long jumper Ankit Sharma, triple jumper Arpinder Singh and javelin thrower Annu Rani were among those failing to live up to expectations but among the minor medallists, it was heartening to see a clutch of them attaining personal bests, like M P Jabir and Anu Raghavan in the 400M hurdles for men and women.
Also boosting their reputation at the end of the championships was the host city. In just three months, they put on a near-flawless show in terms of organisation, with great support from the state government. Indeed, Bhubaneswar will be a tough act to follow, for future meet organisers as well as for Indian athletes.
And why not? For the first time in history, they had topped the medals table, the organisation of the meet had earned kudos from all quarters and there were a clutch of impressive performances offering hope for the future.
Twelve gold medals, five silver and 12 bronze medals were India's biggest haul since the start of the Asian Championships in 1973. China, the giants of the continent, were pushed to second spot with eight gold while Japan didn’t win even a single gold medal, for the first time in the championship’s history.
For the fans who packed the Kalinga Stadium on all four days, these were reasons enough to celebrate but for the followers of track and field, it was obvious that the flurry of medal successes was not solely due to a sudden improvement in the Indian performances.
The two leading nations in the continent didn’t bring their top talent to Bhubaneswar while the gulf nations, powerhouses in middle and long distance events, also adopted a lukewarm approach. Bahrain didn’t even turn up, leaving a big void in distance races.
Indeed, the proximity to the World Championships — scheduled in London from August 4 to 13 — affected the participation. The Asian meet was scheduled in June but when Ranchi, the original hosts, pulled out, it left the Asian Athletics Association with no choice than postponing it by a month, so that the new hosts had some time to get the facilities ready.
It affected the overall quality of competitions but the Indians weren’t complaining, especially with the gold medals here – barring relays -- coming with the bonus of a spot at the World Championships. Some had already made it while others eagerly grabbed the chance.
Standing out in the Indian show was javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. The field in his event was strong and the competition was tough but Chopra lived up to his reputation as one of the top throwers in the world with his 85.23M effort in the final round. The junior world champion has plenty of promises to keep.
Champions in three other events also did not have the luxury of competing against weak opposition. Women’s 400M runner Nirmala Sheoran had the best time in the continent prior to the championships and she didn’t disappoint one bit but behind her in bronze position was the future of the event in India. Jisna Mathew would have hoped to do better in the individual race but her potential was on full view in the relay when she bridged a 10M gap to play a key role in India’s gold medal win.
Swapna Barman in heptathlon too was the favourite heading into the Asians. The 20-year-old amply justified it, marking her rise with another career-best performance but had to weather a strong and unexpected challenge from Japan’s Meg Hemphill. Her performance of 1.86 in heptathlon high jump was good enough to win the gold in individual event.
In men’s middle and long distance events, Ajay Kumar Saroj and G Lakshmanan thrived in humid conditions, Lakshmanan notched the first 5000-10000 double by an Indian in the Asian meet while Saroj broke a 28-year drought in the 1500M with his confident run.
Thanks to depleted fields, unexpected gold medals fell into the Indian kitty through P U Chitra (1500M) and Manpreet Kaur (shot put). Bahrain champion Ruth Jebet’s absence had made Sudha Singh a winner even before the race in the 3000M steeple chase while Muhammed Anas would have met with stronger opposition had the Japanese entered in the men’s 400M. As such, Anas proved a cut above, enhancing his reputation.
The pull-out of Tintu Luka due to illness and the disqualification of Archana Adhav hit India hard in the women's 800M. Archana, stripped of the gold for obstructing her Sri Lankan rival, would do well if she takes it as a learning experience.
Long jumper Ankit Sharma, triple jumper Arpinder Singh and javelin thrower Annu Rani were among those failing to live up to expectations but among the minor medallists, it was heartening to see a clutch of them attaining personal bests, like M P Jabir and Anu Raghavan in the 400M hurdles for men and women.
Also boosting their reputation at the end of the championships was the host city. In just three months, they put on a near-flawless show in terms of organisation, with great support from the state government. Indeed, Bhubaneswar will be a tough act to follow, for future meet organisers as well as for Indian athletes.
