Qatar’s Ogunode suffers shock defeat in 200M

Doha: Asian record holder Femi Seun Ogunode tasted shock defeat for the second time in four days, this time in 200M, at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar, India, on Sunday.

Qatari ace Ogunode’s below par time of 20.79sec only managed to fetch him a bronze as Yan Chun-Han from Chinese Taipei (20.66) took the gold.

Park Bong-Go of South Korea won silver in 20.76.

In 800M men’s competition, Qatar’s Jamal Hairane won silver, his second of the competition.

The 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist was the favourite in the event, but Kuwait’s Ebrahim Al Zofairi, who qualified as the fastest loser from the heats, put up a stunning display to win the race. India’s Jinson Johnson took bronze.

Ahmed Bader Magour also won a silver for Qatar, in men's javelin throw (83.70), which was won by India's Neeraj Chopra. Davinder Singh Kang, also of India, took bronze.

Qatar thus finished the four-day meet with six silver and one bronze. They had won seven gold two silver and a bronze in Wuhan, China, in 2015 to finish second overall, behind the hosts in 2015.

Meanwhile, there was drama in 800M women’s race as winner Archana Adhav of India was disqualified for deliberately pushing her Sri Lankan opponent

Hosts India bagged 12 gold 5 silver and 12 bronze to top the medals tally for the first time in history while China, with eight gold, seven silver and five bronze, came second.

Japan were champions in the first five editions of the championships from 1973 to 1981 before China took over the mantle in 1983 at Kuwait City.

Even though the Chinese fielded a second string keeping the August World Championships in mind, it indeed was a proud achievement for the Indians.