Fan Jiang (L) of China and Hector Cotto of Puerto Rico compete in the men&#39;s 110 metres hurdles heats (Getty Images) © Copyright
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Jiang Fan impresses in Kanchanaburi - 2012 Asian Grand Prix, 2nd leg

The majority of the women’s winners from the first meeting in Bangkok last Tuesday (8) continued to hold sway as the second leg of the 2012 Asian Grand Prix circuit was gone through on Friday (11) in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

However, in the men's section there was a churning out process which left all previous leg winners, except one, on the losing side. Chinese Zheng Peimeng won the Race 'A’ in the men’s 100m in 10.44 seconds, a slight improvement over his Bangkok performance of 10.48 to be the man to maintain his winning streak in the three-leg circuit.

Beginning from the 100 metres domination of veteran Guzel Khubbieva and barring long jumper Yuliya Tarasova, the winners from the previous leg won again in the women’s section.

As the leading roles were reversed in most of the men’s events, the ones to impress most were Chinese high hurdler Jiang Fan, who avenged his Bangkok defeat at the hands of Kuwaiti Abdulaziz Alamandeel, and Thai high jumper Prampte Poom-Urai who added 12 centimetres to his personal best in clearing 2.26m and yet ended up in second place.

MEN’s events summary

Jiang Fan clocked a season best 13.54 seconds to convincingly beat Alamandeel in the 110m Hurdles. The Kuwaiti who had timed 13.58s in the previous leg, came well behind in 13.69s this time. Thai Jumrut Ritiidet had a season best 13.83 for the third place.

In a rousing contest in the men’s High jump, the previous-leg winner and former Asian champion, Manjula Kumara Wijesekara, was pushed behind as Majed Eldein Ghzal of Syria and Poom-Urai scaled 2.26 metres. The Syrian who has a best of 2.28, won on a countback, but the 22-year-old Thai won the applause from the home crowd for a huge personal best. He had jumped 2.14, his previous best, in 2009 and 2010.

The Syrian and the Thai tied for the second place in the continental season list along with Iranian Keyvan Ghanbarzade, who incidentally came third with 2.23. Chinese Zhang Guowei (2.27) heads the list.

Indian P. Kunhumohammed had a personal best 46.14s to beat first-leg winner Iranian Sajad Hashemiahan in the 400m.

However, in the men’s 800 metres, another Indian, Sajeesh Joseph, who won in Bangkok, tasted defeat by an Iranian, Ehsan Mohajorshojaei , 1:47.27 to 1:47.45.
Indian Renjith Maheswary, who had attained a standard for the Olympics (16.85) back home in Triple Jump and who managed only 16.03 in the last meet for third place, came up with a 16.61 to win this time. Team-mate Arpinder Singh had a season best 16.57 to push Roman Valiyev, first leg winner, to the third place.

WOMEN’s events summary

There was no stopping Uzbek Khubbieva in the women’s 100 metres, though she won in a poorer 11.56 sec compared to her winning time of 11.39 in the first leg. Viktoria Zybikhina, fourth last time, took the second place in 11.74.

Indian M. R. Poovamma was once again unchallenged in the women’s 400 metres, though she could not improve upon her PB of 52.94 clocked in Bangkok.

The 2011 Asian champion Truong Thanh Hang of Vietnam once again asserted her supremacy in the two-lap event clocking a season best and her third best career timing of 2:01.79 to move into the second place in the Asian lists behind Indian Tintu Luka who on Friday timed 2:01.09 in the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Doha.

Indian Sinimole Paulose also clocked a season best of 2:02.78 in edging Anna Sidorova of Uzbekistan for the second place. The Uzbek had finished behind the Vietnamese last time.

Uzbek Svetlana Radzivil added three centimeters to her Bangkok effort while winning the high jump title quite comfortably at 1.92 metres.

Men’s and Women’s Relays

The Chinese men’s 4x100m relay team clocked 38.65 to win to contribute to its Olympic qualification chase. Second-placed Hong Kong (38.71) also did well in the qualification front.

The most jubilant, however, were the Singapore sprinter after the team bettered the national record of 39.82 seconds set in SEA Games in 2009, while taking the fifth place in 39.58. India, initially fourth, was disqualified.

The Chinese women’s sprint relay team also did well for a 43.96 finish that again would be useful in the Olympic qualification rankings.

The Indian women’s 4x400m relay team timed a slightly better timing that the first leg with 3:36.82 but it was still far short of the required standards to get into the current top-16 lists.

The top 16 teams in the world, based on the average timings of their best two results, achieved up to July 2, will make it to the Olympics in all the relays.

The third leg of the Asian Grand Prix will be held at Chonburi on 14 May.

By an IAAF Correspondent



Race 'A’: 1. Zhang Peimeng (Chn) 10.44, 2. Reza Ghazemi (Iri) 10.51, 3. Zheng Dongsheng (Chn) 10.57.
Race 'B’: 1. Octaviandi Farrell (Ina) 10.63, 2. Jirapong Meenapra (Tha) 10.67, 3. Gary Yeo Foo Ee (Sin) 10.74.
1. P. Kunhumohammed (Ind) 46.14, 2. Sajad Hashemiahan (Iri) 46.73, 3. Archand Christian Bagsit (Phi) 47.44.
1. Ehsan Mohajorshojaei (Iri) 1:47.27, 2. Sajeesh Joseph (Ind) 1:47.45, 3. Adnan Taees (Irq) 1:48.12.
110m Hurdles
1. Jiang Fan (Chn) 13.54, 2. Abdulaziz Alamandeel (Kuw) 13.69, 3. Jumrut Rittidet (Tha) 13.83.
High Jump
1. Majed Eldein Ghazal (Syr) 2.26, 2. Pramote Poom-Urai (Tha) 2.26, 3. Keyvan Ghanbarzade (Iri) 2.23.
Long Jump
1. Li Jinzhe (Chn) 7.84, 2. Mohammad Arzandeh (Iri) 7.83, 3. Ankit Sharma (Ind) 7.72.
Triple Jump
1. Renjith Maheswary (Ind) 16.61, 2. Arpinder Singh (Ind) 16.57, 3. Roman Valiyev (Kaz) 16.52.
Javelin Throw
1. Rinat Tarzumanov (Uzb) 74.62, 2. Ivan Zaytsev (Uzb) 72.19, 3. Rohit Kumar (Ind) 7107.
4x100m Relay
1. China 38.65, 2. Hong Kong 38.71, 3. Chinese Taipei 39.19.
1. India 2:07.82, 2. Korea 3:11.16, 3. Thailand 3:11.29.


1. Guzel Khubbieva (Uzb) 11.56, 2. Viktoria Zyabikina (Kaz) 11.74, 3. Vu Thi Huong (Vie) 11.76.
1. M. R. Poovamma (Ind) 53.01, Maryam Toosi (Iri) 53.12, 3. Chandrika Subhashini (Sri) 53.50.
1. Truong Thanh Hang (Vie) 2:01.79, 2. Sinimole Paulose (Ind) 2:02.78, 3. Anna Sidorova (Uzb) 2:03.82.
100m Hurdles
1. Sun Yawei (Chn) 13.22, 2. Erawati Dedeh (Ina) 13.24, 3. Natalia Ivoninskaya (Kaz) 13.33.
400m Hurdles
1. Nataliya Asanova (Uzb) 57.36, 2. Ghofran Mohamad (Syr) 57.85, 3. Tatyana Azarova (Kaz) 58.02.
High Jump
Svetlana Radzivil (Uzb) 1.92, 2. Duong Thi Viet Anh (Vie) 1.89, 3. Sahana Kumari (Ind) 1.89.
Long Jump
1. Lu Minjia (Chn) 6.64, 2. Mayookha Johny (Ind) 6.48, 3. Juliya Tarasova (Uzb) 6.47.
Shot Put
1. Safiya Burkhanova (Uzb) 16.28, 2. Alexandra Fisher (Kaz) 15.40, 3. Zeenai Parveen (Pak) 13.93.
Discus Throw
1. Subenrat Insaeng (Tha) 53.50, 2. Kraseyan Juthaporn (Tha) 39.77, 3. Sroisena Charuwan (Tha) 34.50.
4x100m relay
1. China 43.96, 2. Thailand 44.35, 3. Thailand 'B’ 48.28.
4x400m relay
1. India 3:36.82, 2. Thailand, China DNF.

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