Qatari athletics reached the Asian summit with an all-round triumph, in an event that will be written into the history of the Asian championships — yes, this is top spot, medals, records and indeed a complete achievement in every sense of the word, as our national team topped the 21st Asian Athletics Championships, hosted by the Chinese city of Wuhan from 3-6 June, with the participation of our men, in addition to 500 male and female athletes representing 45 Asian countries who competed over the past days with strength, honour and enthusiasm to claim the coloured medals and prove their worth at the competitions of the mother of sport on the largest continent on Earth.
Our men.. our loyal champions got the job done and had the final say in the finale of the Asian challenge, topping the men’s category with a total of (10) coloured medals, comprising (7) golds, (two) silvers and (one) bronze, while the Chinese team topped the overall championship standings, benefiting from the haul of the Chinese women’s team, with a total of (41) medals, including (15) gold, (13) silver and (13) bronze; India finished third with 13 coloured medals, comprising 4 golds, 5 silvers and 4 bronzes; Japan fourth with a total of 4 golds, 3 silvers and 11 bronzes; Bahrain fifth with 3 golds, 3 silvers and two bronzes; and the UAE sixth with 3 golds and one silver.
A golden day for the champions
Our champions claimed (4) precious medals, comprising (3) golds, (two silvers) and (a bronze), through in-form Femi Ogunode, Asia’s fastest man, who won the 200m gold; our in-form runner Musaab Abdulrahman, who won the 800m gold, and the 4x400m relay gold with the formidable Qatari quartet made up of champions Femi Ogunode, Musaab Abdulrahman, Abdalelah Haroun and Mohammed Al Nour; while Olympic champion Barshim took (high jump bronze).
The Qatari whirlwind embraces 200m gold
Our gold medallist Femi Ogunode, Asia’s fastest man, won the bet in the 200m, topping the race in a time of (20.32s), confirming his worth as the continent’s fastest man after winning the 100m gold on the second day, while Saudi runner Faisal Al Subaie finished second in (20.63s), and Indian runner Singh Dhandambar took third in (20.66s), while Omani runner Khalid Al Jahlani, who reached the final and was the third-fastest Arab, finished eighth in (21.34s).
Holding onto Asian gold
Musaab Abdulrahman wins the 800m bet
Our gold medallist Musaab Abdulrahman deservedly embraced the 800m gold, getting the better of the rest of his Asian rivals, clocking a time of (1:49.40), while Indian runner Johnson Jaison finished runner-up in (1:49.69), and Japanese runner Komito Sho took third in (1:50.50), while Qatar’s Jamal Hayran finished seventh in (1:53.76), and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Salehi finished eighth in (1:53.84).
And to cap it all off.. 4x400m gold for Qatar’s knights
Qatar’s loyal knights, the formidable quartet of Femi, Musaab, Haroun and Mohammed, deservedly snatched the 4x400m relay gold, in one of the most thrilling events of the mother of sport, shining in an exciting contest against the champions of Saudi Arabia, Japan, China and India, taking first place with a new continental record of (3:02.50), while the Saudi quartet finished runner-up in (3:02.62), the Japanese quartet took third in (3:03.47), India finished fourth in (3:05.14), Sri Lanka fifth in (3:05.79), and Oman sixth in (3:05.94).
Luck goes against.. Barshim
Elsewhere, luck went against our world champion Mutaz Barshim in the high jump final amid difficult weather conditions and heavy rain that upset the Olympic champion’s calculations, leaving him to settle for third place with (2.20m), while Japanese jumper Takeshi Ito took first place with (2.24m), and Chinese Taipei’s Hsiang Chia-hsin finished runner-up also with (2.24m) on countback, while Omar Barshim finished 11th with (2.10m).
A simplified closing
The closing ceremony of the Asian Athletics Championships in the city of Wuhan at the Olympic Stadium was athletic and simplified, with a decent official and public turnout accompanying the fifth and final day of the Asian challenge, with more than 500 male and female athletes having competed over the past days with high spirits and great enthusiasm to win the coloured medals and honour their countries.
Al Hamad receives the championship flag
HE Dahlan Al Hamad, president of both the Asian and Qatari athletics federations, received the flag of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships yesterday after it was lowered from the flagpole, ahead of handing it over to the nation set to host the 22nd edition.
Chinese Taipei the leading candidate to host the next edition
Chinese Taipei has become the leading candidate to host the next, 22nd edition of the Asian Athletics Championships in two years’ time, with the decision expected to be taken at the board meeting next October. Taipei had submitted an official bid to the Asian federation, though no decision has yet been made pending the first meeting of the newly formed board following the general assembly in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The final round
Today’s closing round of competition comprised (12) track and field races and events for men and women, as follows: first, for men — high jump final, 200m final, 800m final, and finally the 1500m final, the decathlon, the 4x400m relay final; second, for women — triple jump final, 200m final, 800m final, 10,000m final, javelin throw final, shot put final, 4x400m relay final.
India’s Lokalia
Indian runner Lokalia won the women’s 800m gold in a time of (2:01.53), with China’s Zhou Ling finishing second in (2:03), while Sri Lanka’s Nimali took third also in (2:03).
Chinese women win 4x400m gold
China’s women won the 4x400m relay gold after an exciting battle with the Indian team down to the very last moment, with the Chinese quartet clocking (3:33.44), while the Indian quartet finished second in (3:33.81), and Kazakhstan’s women took third in (3:35.14).
