Shiojiri Wins Only Japanese Medal on Day One of Asian Athletics Championships

The bronze medalist in the men's 3000 m steeplechase at last summer's Jakarta Asian Games, Kazuya Shiojiri turned in the only medal-winning performance on the opening day of the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar with another steeple bronze. Shiojiri spent most of the race comfortably in the silver medal position behind Kenyan-born eventual world-leading gold medalist John Koech (Bahrain), but on the last lap Avinash Sable (India) turned in an incredible kick to overtake Shiojiri in the home straight. Side-by-side with Sable over the last lap, Hossein Keyhani (Iran) kicked over a cone and ran a few strides inside the last corner but somehow escaped disqualification for 4th. Japan's Kosei Yamaguchi was 6th.

In both the women's 5000 m and men's 10000 m the gold and silver went to African-born Bahraini athletes with Indian runners taking bronze. In the 5000 m, Japan's 2018 World U20 3000 m gold medalist Nozomi Tanaka relatively listlessly led the first 2000 m before Bahrain's Winfred Yavi and Bontu Rebitu went to work with Parul Chaudhary (India) in tow. Tanaka immediately dropped to the rear of the lead pack before fighting her way back up to 5th, only to be outkicked by Chiina's Dan Li in the home straight. Her teammate Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu never seemed to be on her game, finishing only 8th in 16:08.16.

The men's 10000 m went much the same way, with Japan's Hiroki Abe leading the first 3000 m, replaced briefly up front by teammate Tetsuya Yoroizaka before Bahrainis Dawit Fikadu and Hassan Chani took over. Abe fell far back over the second half of the race, but until the last 1000 m Yoroizaka led a chase trio including Murli Gavit (India) and Duo Bu Jie (China). Gavit launched a long surge to drop Yoroizaka and Jie, but although Yoroizaka looked to be in range at the bell Gavit had an amazingly strong kick to reopen the gap and claim bronze.

There were near-misses in almost every other event, with Japanese athletes taking 4th in four of the day's other five finals, the women's 400 m, women's javelin throw, men's discus throw and women's shot put. The men's pole vault was the lone dud of the day, with Masaki Ejima and Seito Yamamoto taking only 6th and 7th.

In qualifying rounds, Japanese athletes advanced to the next round in every event, two moving on in the men's 100 m, men's 400 m and men's triple jump, and one each in the women's 100 m, women's and men's 800 m, and women's and men's 400 m hurdles. Takatoshi Abe won his 400 m hurdles semifinal in 49.63, only bettered by the 49.57 run by other semi winner Abderrahman Samba (Qatar). National record holder Yoshihide Kiryu won his 100 m heat in 10.29 +0.9, with Ryota Yamagata 2nd in his heat in 10.30 -0.2. The Asian Athletics Championships continue through Wednesday.

23rd Asian Athletics Championships

Day One Results
Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar, 4/21/19
complete results

Finals

Women's 400 m Final
1. Salwa Naser (Bahrain) - 51.34
2. Elina Mikhina (Kazakhstan) - 53.19
3. Poovamma Machettira (India) - 53.21
-----
4. Mae Hirosawa (Japan) - 53.54

Women's 5000 m Final
1. Winfred Yavi (Bahrain) - 15:28.87
2. Bontu Rebitu (Bahrain) - 15:29.60
3. Parul Chaudhary (India) - 15:36.03
-----
6. Nozomi Tanaka (Japan) - 15:44.59
8. Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Japan) - 16:08.16

Men's 10000 m Final
1. Dawit Fikadu (Bahrain) - 28:26.30
2. Hassan Chani (Bahrain) - 28:31.30
3. MKT Gavit (India) - 28:38.34
---
4. Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Japan) - 28:44.86
6. Hiroki Abe (Japan) - 29:17.47

Men's 3000 m Steeplechase Final
1. John Koech (Bahrain) - 8:25.87 - WL
2. Avinash Sable (India) - 8:30.19
3. Kazuya Shiojiri (Japan) - 8:32.25
-----
6. Kosei Yamaguchi (Japan) - 8:47.07

Men's Pole Vault Final
1. Ernest Obeina (Philippines) - 5.71 m - NR, CR
2. Wei Zhang (China) - 5.66 m
3. Bokai Huang (China) - 5.66 m
-----
6. Masaki Ejima (Japan) - 5.51 m
7. Seito Yamamoto (Japan) - 5.51 m

Women's Javelin Throw Final
1. Huihui Lyu (China) - 65.83 m - CR
2. Annu Rani (India) - 60.22 m
3. Natta Nachan (Thailand) - 56.01 m
-----
4. Risa Miyashita (Japan) - 55.27 m
9. Marina Saito (Japan) - 52.40 m

Men's Discus Throw Final
1. Ehsan Hadad (Iran) - 65.95 m - CR
2. Behnam Shrijabilou (Iran) - 60.89 m
3. Musab Momani (Jordan) - 58.27 m
-----
4. Masateru Yugami (Japan) - 57.90 m
11. Shigeyuki Maisawa (Japan) - 53.67 m

Women's Shot Put Final
1. Lijiao Gong (China) - 19.18 m
2. Noora Jasim (Bahrain) - 18.00 m - NR
3. Jiayuan Song (China) - 17.70 m
-----
4. Nanaka Kori (Japan) - 15.68 m
5. Aya Ota (Japan) - 15.50 m

Qualifying Rounds

Women's 100 m Semifinal Qualifiers
Dufee Chand (India) - 11.28 - NR
Olga Safronova (Kazakhstan) - 11.30
Yong Li Wei (China) - 11.36
Xiao Jing Liang (China) - 11.37
Nigina Sharipova (Uzbekistan) - 11.47
Iman Jassim (Bahrain) - 11.50
Anna Bulanova (Kyrgyzstan) - 11.55
Veronica Shanti Pereira (Singapore) - 11.58 - NR
Ki Lam On (Hong Kong) - 11.62 - NR
Tu Chinh Ie (Vietnam) - 11.67
Kristina Marie Knott (Philippines) - 11.70
Supawan Thipat (Thailand) - 11.73
Aziza Sbaity (Lebanon) - 11.78
ON Uma Chattha (Thailand) - 11.79
Hajar Alkhaldi (Bahrain) - 11.81
Chisato Fukushima (Japan) - 11.92

Men's 100 m Semifinal Qualifiers
Andrew Fisher (Bahrain) - 10.15 +1.2 m/s
Tosin Joseph Ogunode (Qatar) - 10.22 +1.2 m/s
Lalu Muhammad Zohri (Indonesia) - 10.26 +0.8 m/s
Hassan Taftian (Iran) - 10.26 +1.2 m/s
Kuk Young Kim (Korea) - 10.27 +0.5 m/s
Zhiquang Wu (China) - 10.29 -0.2 m/s
Yoshihide Kiryu (Japan) - 10.29 +0.9 m/s
Ryota Yamagata (Japan) - 10.30 -0.2 m/s
Chun-Han Yang (Taiwan) - 10.34 +0.5 m/s
Jirapong Meenapra (Thailand) - 10.34 +1.2 m/s
Zhouzheng Xu (China) - 10.41 +0.5 m/s
Waththakankanamge (Sri Lanka) - 10.42 +0.8 m/s
Barakat Al-Harth (Oman) - 10.43 +0.8 m/s
Hassan Saaid (Maldives) - 10.47 +1.2 m/s
Noureddine Hadid (Lebanon) - 10.52 -0.2 m/s
Siripol Punpa (Thailand) - 10.52 +0.8 m/s
Wei-Hsu Wang (Taiwan) - 10.53 +0.9 m/s
Muhammad Bin Ismail (Malaysia) - 10.55 +0.5 m/s
Eric Shauwn Cray (Philippines) - 10.57 +0.5 m/s
Jae Seong Lee (Korea) - 10.60 +1.2 m/s
Noor Muhammad (Burundi) - 10.61 +1.2 m/s
Anfemea Lopena (Philippines) - 10.65 +0.9 m/s
Jaber Hilal Almamari (Qatar) - 10.74 -0.2 m/s
Alisher Sadulayev (Turkmenistan) - 10.78 +0.9 m/s

Men's 400 m Final Qualifiers
Yousef Karam (Kuwait) - 45.04
Abbas Abubaker (Bahrain) - 45.27
Mikhail Litvin (Kazakhstan) - 45.38
Julian Walsh (Japan) - 45.67
Arokia Rajiv (India) - 45.96
Taha Hussein Yassen (Iraq) - 46.04 - NR
Muhammed Anas Yahiya (India) - 46.10
Rikuya Ito (Japan) - 46.52

Women's 800 m Final Qualifiers
Chun Yu Wang (China) - 2:04.93
Gomathi Marimuthu (India) - 2:04.96
Margarita Mukasheva (Kazakhstan) - 2:05.08
KLA Walkiwarsha (Sri Lanka) - 2:05.10
AGT Artigala (Sri Lanka) - 2:05.20
Ayano Shiomi (Japan) - 2:05.33
Zhi Ying Hu (China) - 2:06.63
Marta Hirpato (Bahrain) - 2:06.69

Men's 800 m Final Qualifiers
Abubaker Haydar Abdalla (Qatar) - 1:49.52
Ebrahim Alzofairi (Kuwait) - 1:50.27
Junlin Li (China) - 1:50.30
Mohammed Afsal (India) - 1:50.47
Abdirahman Saeed Hassan (Qatar) - 1:50.50
Jinson Johnson (India) - 1:50.65
Jamal Hairane (Qatar) - 1:50.73
Takumi Murashima (Japan) - 1:50.76

Women's 400 m Hurdles Final Qualifiers
Aminat Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) - 57.49
Thi Lan Quach (Vietnam) - 57.64
Saritaben Gayakwad (Indonesia) - 58.17
Arpitha Manjunatha (India) - 58.20
Jiadie Mo (China) - 58.28
Yan Huang (China) - 58.46
Eri Utsunomiya (Japan) - 58.58
Adelina Akhmetova (Kazakhstan) - 59.02

Men's 400 m Hurdles Final Qualifiers
Abderrahman Samba (Qatar) - 49.57
Takatoshi Abe (Japan) - 49.63
Chieh Chen (Taiwan) - 49.87
Bassem Hemeida (Qatar) - 49.98
Jabir Madar Pllivalil (India) - 50.15
Chia-Hsuan Yu (Taiwan) - 50.22
Madi Pirjahan (Iran) - 50.32
Mehboob Ali (Pakistan) - 50.40

Men's Triple Jump Final Qualifiers
Ya Ming Zhu (China) - 16.52 m -0.2 m/s
Xiao Long Xu (China) - 16.35 m -1.0 m/s
Rulsan Kurbanov (Uzbekistan) - 16.29 m -0.7 m/s
Mark Harry Diones (Philippines) - 16.16 m +0.4 m/s
MH Ismail (Malaysia) - 16.08 m -0.1 m/s
Ryoma Yamamoto (Japan) - 15.97 m +0.1 m/s
SD Liyanapedige (Sri Lanka) - 15.87 m -0.2 m/s
Kohei Yamashita (Japan) - 15.78 m -0.5 m/s
Praveen Chithravel (India) - 15.66 m -0.3 m/s
Ivan Denisov (Uzbekistan) - 15.47 m +0.0 m/s
Pratchaya Tepparak (Thailand) - 15.36 m +0.0 m/s
Salam Al-Rawahi (Oman) - 15.31 m -0.1 m/s

text and photos © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved