The Hindu : Sport : Cherono wins 3,000m gold

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Friday, Oct 17, 2008
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Sport

Cherono wins 3,000m gold

Nandakumar Marar

Double for Abeypitiyage, Thompson

— Photo: Vivek Bendre

THE CHAMPION: Shehan Abeypitiyage, who won the 200m gold.

PUNE: Mercy Cherono experienced the loneliness of a long-distance runner in the women’s 3,000m race, though running alone was a journey of happiness around the CYG 2008 athletics track.

Loping along in the traditional African way, she led from start to finish for a Games record of 9:06.01 seconds, a huge improvement on the old mark (9:42.95 by Madeline Heiner of Australia in 2004).

The athletics event gained international flavour with South Africans ruling in the men’s and women’s 800m (Cylof Jonas and Castor Semenya), and Uganda’s Moses Kibet and Dickson Huru edging Japhael Korir of Kenya to the third spot in the men’s 5,000.

CYG’s 100m champions, Sri Lanka’s Sadarruwan Abeypitiyage and England’s Shaunna Thompson, won the 200m for a sprint double.

India’s haul

Four golds ensured the tri-colour went up at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex and the National Anthem echoed in the stands.

After triple jumper Shradha Ghole and javelin thrower Nandkrishan Tripathi had climbed down from the victory podium, the 4x400m squads flashed on track in the men’s and women’s relays.

Shradha grabbed the title with her final jump (13.11m), ahead of teammate Gayathri Govindharaj (12.89).

Tripathi speared the gold with a distance of 71.52 on his second throw, his colleague Rohit Kumar a distant second in 67.60, but yet good enough for the silver.

India’s relay teams stepped out of the shadows in the floodlit stadium and into the limelight with efficient displays.

The women’s quartet left Canada and Australia behind from the time Mariam Anu Jose got the baton from Chinchu Jose on the second lap for Arya Chandrika and M.R. Poovamma to take over, clocking 3:42.02, a new Games mark.

India’s men’s relay runners also bettered the mark at 3:13.32. Nikhil Chittarasu’s 2.09m in the high jump swelled India’s medal haul on Thursday to 10 (four golds, four silvers and two bronzes).

The results (all finals): Men: 5,000m: 1. Moses Kibet (Uga) 14:10.86, 2. Dickson Huru (Uga) 14:11.06, 3. Japhael Korir (Ken) 14: 11.39. Javelin: 1. Nandkrishan Tripathi (Ind) 71.52, 2. Rohit Kumar (Ind) 67.60, 3. Luke Bissett (Aus) 65.64. 800m: 1. Cylof Jonas (RSA) 1:50.72, 2. Daniel Lagamang (Bot) 1:51.28, 3. David Mutinda (Ken) 1:52.22. 200m: 1. Sadarruwan Abeypitiyage (SL) 21.27, 2. Ray Williams (Aus) 21.30, 3. Amiya Kumar Malik (Ind) 21.33. Long jump: 1.Stefan Brits (RSA) 7.38, 2. Rositto Andrews (Ind) 7.24, 3. Azarudeen Buhari (Ind) 7.14. High jump: 1. Wayne Voight (RSA) 2hr, 11m, 2. Nikhil Chittarasu (Ind) 2.09, 3. Derek Drouin (Can) 2.09. 4x400m relay: 1. India (Jithin Paul, Dharambir, Inderjeet Singh, Parveen Kumar) 3:13.32, 2. South Africa (3:14.01), 3. New Zealand (3:14.26).

Women: 3,000m: 1. Mercy Cherono (Ken) 9:06.01, 2. Doreen Chesano (Uga) 9:35.71, 3. Xwaymay Mary Naali (Tan) 9:36.63. 800m: 1. Castor Semenya (RSA) 2:04.23, 2. Rachel Stringer (Eng) 2:05.71, 3. Sharp Lynsey (Sco) 2:06.77. Triple jump: 1. Shradha Ghule (Ind) 13.11, 2. Gayathri Govindharaj (Ind) 12.89, 3. Ainsley Ackerman (Aus) 12.72. 200m: 1. Shaunna Thompson (Eng) 23.42, Rachael Nachula (Zam) 23.86, 3. Lauren O’Sullivan (Aus) 24.14. 4x400m relay: 1. India (Chinchu Jose, Mariam Jose, Chandrika Arya, M.V. Poovamma) 3:42.02, 2. Canada (3:45.46), 3. Australia (3:46.10).