Thais left trailing

The Thai team, who were 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games gold medallists, led through the first two legs before Tussaporn Wannakij was caught and passed by a Chinese athlete. Nongnuch fought to overhaul her Chinese rival but was left with too much to do. China took the gold in 44.06s, while Thailand clocked 44.57s ahead of Thailand B in third with 46.00s.
Thailand were a big letdown in the men’s 4x100m event, finishing fifth in 40.21s. Hong Kong stormed home first in 39.28s, with China and India in second and third places in 39.48s and 39.51s.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Peimeng emerged as the fastest man of the competition with a time of 10.48 seconds in the 100m.
Second and third went to Sri Lanka’s Abepitiyage Shehan Sadaruwan and Iranian Reza Ghazemi who clocked 10.52s and 10.65s. Thailand’s Jirapong Meenapra and Sowan Ruttanapon finished 9th and 11th.
Uzbek sprinting queen Guzel Khubbieva blasted her rivals in the 100m, clocking 11.39 seconds to win gold. Chinese Wei Yongli finished second in 11.60s, with former SEA Games double sprint gold medallist Vu Thi Huong of Vietnam in third place in 11.79s. No Thai runner competed in the discipline.
Iranian Sajad Hashemiahan won the 400m with a time of 46.73s, while Oman’s Ahmed AlMarjibi and Sri Lankan Prasanna S Amarasekara took home silver and bronze after clocking 46.79s and 47.52s.
India’s MR Poovamma won the women’s 400m gold with a time of 52.94s, beating Iranian Toosi Maryam by just 0.01s in a photo finish. Sri Lanka’s Rasnayaka Mdiyanselage took bronze in 53.57s.
Uzbek Juliya Tarasova soared 6.46 metres in the women’s long jump to claim gold. China’s Lu Minjia and Filipina Torres Marestella clinched silver and bronze after jumping 6.39m and 6.37m respectively.
The men’s 110m hurdles saw Kuwait’s Abdulaziz Almandeel fly home in 13.58s for gold. China’s Jiang Fan secured second in 13.78s, with South Korea’s Park Taekyong third in 13.89s. Sun Yawei claimed the women’s 100m hurdles gold in 13.31s.
Uzbekistan claimed their third gold when Safiya Burkhanova threw 16.28m to top the women’s shot put. Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Fisher took silver (16.12m), with bronze going to Thailand’s Sawitri Thongchao (13.71m).
Uzbekistan’s fourth gold came in the women’s high jump event. Uzbek Svetlana Radzivil and India’s Kumari Sahana jumped an identical height of 1.89m. However, Radzivil was declared the winner as she passed the height in her first attempt. Vietnam’s Duong Thi Viet Anh came third place after jumping 1.86m.
Uzbekistan stretched their golden streak by winning the men’s javelin thanks to Ivan Zaytcev’s best throw of 80.25m.
In related news, Supanara Sukhasvasti, men’s long jump silver medallist at the Asian Championships in Japan last year, received a wild card from the International Amateur Athletics Association for the London Olympics. Supanara is the second Thai athlete to make it to the Games after Panida Suksomboon, who qualified in the King’s Cup last year.
The second leg of the Asian Grand Prix series takes place at Kleeb Bua Stadium, Kanchanaburi on Friday, with the third and last leg on May 14 in Chon Buri.