India, China shine in Asian Games athletics
India and China won two gold medals apiece on the first day of the 2010 Asian Games athletics competition at the Aoti Main Stadium on Sunday.
Preeja Sreedharan topped the women's 10,000m while Sudha Singh ruled the women's 3,000m to lead the Indians. Sreedharan clocked a personal-best 31 minutes and 50.28 seconds to cross the finish line ahead
of compatriot Kavita Raut and Bahrain's Shitaya Habtegebrel.
Raut also set a personal-best time of 31:51.44 while the Ethiopia-born Habtegebrel registered 31:53.27. Singh made it a double celebration for India when she ruled the women's 3,000m in the day's final
event.
The Indian national record holder posted a winning time of 9:55.67, which is her personal best. Singh held off a late surge from China's Jin Yuan, who was just .04 behind. Japan’s Minori Hayakari took
bronze in 10:01.25.
The opening day of athletics competition kicked off with China's Wang Hao taking gold in the men's 20km walk. The 21-year-old clocked a season-best 1:20:50 to give the host nation a perfect start in the
medal-rich discipline.
"This is the first gold medal in athletics in the Asian Games. It's very important and we could not afford to lose it," Wang told AFP.
Another Chinese Chu Yafei crossed the line in 1:21:57 to claim the silver. South Korean Kim Hyun-sub secured the bronze in 1:22:47.
Li Ling added a second gold for China when she won the women's shot put event. She set a personal-best 19.94m. Li beat team-mate Gong Lijiao, who took the silver in 19.67m.
Lee Mi-young of South Korea was a distant third with a best throw of 17.51m.
In the men's hammer throw, Dilshod Nazarov of Tajikistan successfully defended his title to give his country its first gold of the meet. The 28-year-old posted a best throw of 76.44m on his sixth and final
attempt to seal the gold.
He was comfortably ahead of silver medallist Kaveh Mousavi of Iran, who could only manage 68.90m. Hiroaki Doi of Japan claimed the bronze in 68.72m.
"I feel very proud that I won the first ever gold medal for Tajikistan at the Guangzhou Asian Games," Nazarov said.
The medals in the men's 5,000m were swept by three Kenyan-born athletes. Bahrain's Ali Hasan Mahboob won the event in a personal-best time of 13:47.86.
He edged Qataris James Kwalia and Felix Kibore, who clocked 13:48.55 and 13:49.31, respectively.
Mahboob, formerly known as Silas Kirui, is the defending champion in the 10,000m and is expected to win the double.
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