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Thursday, Sep 28, 2006
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Top stars for AFI-Salwan throws meet

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Four of the Busan Asian Games champions from China, apart from a number of top-ranked athletes from Europe and Iran, will figure in the inaugural AFI-Salwan international throws meet to be held at the Salwan Public School here on Friday and Saturday.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Secretary, Lalit Bhanot, said that the national competitions in various age groups in all the throwing events would also be held concurrently with the international meet to be held under floodlights.

What was started as a national meet last year was made an international competition this year and the organisers were keen to make it a regular and popular event in the world athletics calendar in the coming years, Mr. Bhanot said.

He added that the AFI already had a middle distance national meet and would soon include a sprints meet in Mumbai in its calendar.

50 foreign athletes

Around 50 foreign competitors and more than 150 Indian athletes are expected to compete in the two-day meet here that should provide the first build-up platform in the second phase of the season for the country's Asian Games aspirants.

Heading the list of entries are the four Asian Games champions from China, Wu Tao (discus, personal best 64.28, season best 60.75) and Li Rongxiang (javelin, personal best 84.29, season best 79.96) among men, and Li Meiju (shot put, personal best 19.05, season best 18.54) and Gu Yuan (hammer, personal best 72.36, season best 69.28) among women.

Poland's shot putter Tomasz Majewski who finished second in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix last week and who has a season best of 20.66m and a personal best of 20.83m, countryman Andrzej Krawczyk (discus, personal best 65.56m, season best 62.31m) and Chinese shot putter Zhang Qi personal best 20.15, season best 19.66) who won two of the three Asian Grand Prix legs this year, are among the leading contenders in the men's section.

Among the others, Iranian discus thrower Abbas Samimi (personal best 64.98m), silver medallist at the last Asian Games, who swept the Asian Grand Prix titles in 2004, could be a contender, though he does not have a top mark to show this season.

Mr. Bhanot said that the leading women discus throwers of the country who were in Ukraine for a training programme, were back and would compete in the meet.

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