The Hindu : Sport : Jeetender wins first athletics medal for India

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Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
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Sport

Jeetender wins first athletics medal for India

Abhijit Sen Gupta

Qatar’s Francis Samuel clinches men’s 100m sprint event

— PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

PROUD MOMENT: India’s Jeetender Singh, who won the bronze in the 400 metres hurdles for men.

Hyderabad: Twenty-four-year-old Jeetender Singh gave India its first medal in athletics when he bagged a bronze in the men’s 400m hurdles on the second day of the athletics competitions in the fourth Military World Games at the GMC Balayogi Stadium on Tuesday.

The armyman from 1 Signal Regiment, Jabalpur, said that his hard work had paid off.

“I have been training for several months and was determined to get a medal here. My target was 50.80 seconds, but I failed to achieve that. However, I am happy that I have bagged a medal. My next target is to get a medal in the SAF Games,” he said.

Francis Samuel of Qatar, who won the men’s 100m sprint, said that he has been training in Europe and was confident of doing well. He had a word of praise for the track and weather in Hyderabad. He hopes to do well in the Beijing Olympics next year.

Facile win for India

On the second day of the round robin league in men’s volleyball tournament of the Military World Games at the Yusufguda Indoor stadium on Tuesday, India comfortably outplayed Latvia 25-17, 25-19, 25-16.

A confident Indian team gained its first points of the tournament. Maintaining a lead right from the beginning, the host raced to 23-13 before taking the first set 25-17. In the second, Latvia came back strongly but could not stop India from taking the set 25-19. In the third, the teams were neck and neck (8-9) till the halfway. Here India’s aggression paid off enabling it to sail through 25-16.

In a Pool B match, China upset fancied Brazil in straight sets 25-23, 25-21, 25-22.

The results:

Athletics: Men: 100m: 1. Francis Samuel (Qat) 10.10s; 2. Simone Collio (Ita) 10.29s; 3. Chyla Lukasz (Pol) 10.39s.

400m hurdles: 1. Hawasi Edrees (KSA) 50.26s; 2. De Jesus Sales (Bra) 50.98s; 3. Jeetender (Ind) 51.70s.

400m: 1. N. Ali Bab Bakar (Sud) 46s; 2. Dabrowski Daniel (Pol) 46.36s; 3. Amarasekara (Sri) 46.48s.

5000m: 1. Mark Kipto (Ken) 13:51.74s; 2. Beloua Brahim (Mar) 13:52.32s; 3. Aboud Rabbah (Alg) 13:53.74s.

Pole vault: 1. Suerth Florian (Ger) 5.2m; 2. Gensic Paul (USA) 5.10m; 3. Matteo Rubbiani (Ita) 5m. Women: 400m: 1. P.D.M. Wickramasinge (Sri) 52.93s; 2. E. Ilpeykina (Rus) 54.78s; 3. J. Nyarunda (Ken) 54.88s.

800m: 1. Brigita Langerholc (Slo) 2:04.05s; 2. Sidorova Anna (Uzb) 2:04.70s; 3. Dziadkova Natalia (Blr) 2:05.85s.

Long jump: 1. Devetzi Chrvsopigi (Gre) 6.69m; 2. Anna Pyatykh (Rus) 6.23m; 3. Juravlyova Anastisya (Uzb) 6.21m.

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