Runner Supriati fails to qualify for the Olympics

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's Asian Games champion Supriati Sutono wasted her last chance to book a place at next month's Olympic Games after clocking a below-par time in the 5,000-meter event on the final day of the Asian Track and Field Championships on Thursday.

Supriati, who has collected major titles in the region, ran 16:3.85 to finish third in her favorite discipline, almost nine seconds outside of the Olympic qualifying time of 15:55.00.

Wo Qingdong of China took the gold in 15:58.83, followed by Naomi Sakashita who ran 16:01.53.

"I failed. I was too afraid to run much faster as I had pulled my right hamstring. The pain forced me to run carefully," Supriati said, adding that she was under huge pressure to meet the qualifying target for the Sydney Games set by the Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI).

Supriati set her personal best of 15:54.25 to win the Asian Games in Bangkok two years ago.

China's dominance and four new championship records sealed the four-day event, which in all saw seven meet records tumble and another one equaled.

The Chinese, despite missing their top athletes who were focusing on the Olympics elsewhere, topped the medals standing with nine golds, 10 silvers and 10 bronzes. India was second with six golds, 10 silvers and five bronzes narrowly trailed by Qatar with five golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

One of the new records was set by Sri Lanka's ace runner Damayanti Darsha who won the women's 200m in 22.84 seconds, shaving 0.16 of a second off the old mark set in 1995 by compatriot Susantika Jayasinghe, who missed this year's event. It was Darsha's second gold medal -- she won the 400m, also in a record breaking time, on Tuesday.

Darsha completed her 100 percent record when she anchored her country's 4X100 relay team to victory.

"I'm very happy with the result as it increased my self- confidence on my chances in the Olympics," an elated Darsha said.

Supriati, who won the gold in the 10,000m on Monday, was never in front during the 5,000m race, which saw Sakashita set the pace until Wo sneaked unnoticed during the last two laps to win gold.

Indonesian Amateur Athletics Association (PASI) secretary- general Tigor Tanjung expressed disappointment with the result.

"We had hoped that Supriati could maintain her pace and step up the pressure on the Chinese and Japanese runners. But she failed in the sprint," Tigor said.

Thailand won the men's 4X100 relay in a record breaking time of 38.80. The old mark of 39.03 was set by a Chinese quartet in the last meet in July 1998.

Japan finished second in 39.18, while Saudi Arabia took the bronze with 39.60.

"We have been preparing for the championships for a year. Now we are confident that we have a good chance in the Olympics," said Thailand's anchorman Vissanu Sophanich.

In the women's 4x400, India set a new record of 3:31.54 -- 1.19 seconds faster than the old mark set by China in September 1995. Japan won the silver after running 3:37.15 while South Korea took bronze with 3:48.29.

In the field, Husain al Sabea of Saudi Arabia created a new record in the men's long-jump after leaping 8.33 meters, improving Japanese Nobuharu Asahara's seven-year-old record by 20 centimeters.

Sanjay Kumar Ray of India was second after jumping 8.03 while Rahman Nubi of Qatar was third with 8.01. (yan)

Results

Men's 200m: 1. Masahiko Fukunaga (Jpn) 20.78 seconds, 2. Sitichai Suwonprateep (Tha) 20.79, 3. Mohammed Al Hooti (Oma) 20.81

Men's 400m hurdles: 1. Hadi S. Somaly (Ksa) 49.13 seconds, 2. Harijan Ratnayaka (Sri) 49.44, 3. Zaheral Den Najem (Syr) 49.67

Men's 800m: 1. Mehdi Jeloodar Zadeh (Irn) 1:49.80, 2. Kim Soon-hyung (Kor) 1:50.06, 3. Lee Jae-hun (Kor) 1:50.35

Men's 5,000m: 1. Ahmed Ibrahim (Qat) 13:53.10, 2. Gong Ke (Chn) 14:04.61, 3. Mohamed Sulaiman (Qat) 14:10.79

Men's 4x100 relay: 1. Thailand 38.80, 2. Japan 39.18, 3. Saudi Arabia 39.60

Men's 4x400 relay: 1. Sri Lanka 3:02.71, 2. India 3:02.71, 3. Saudi Arabia 3:05.00

Men's High jump: 1. Yuriy Pakhlyayev (Kaz) 2.23 meters, 2. Wang Zhouzhou (Chn) 2.23, 3. Yoshiteru Kaihoko (Jpn) 2.19

Men's Long jump: 1. Husain Al Sabea (Ksa) 8.33 meters, 2. Sanjay Kumar Ray (Ind) 8.03, 3. A. Rahman Nubi (Qat) 8.01

Men's Discus: 1. Anil Kumar (Ind) 58.47 meters, 2. Abass Samimi (Irn) 58.27, 3. Hirdayanand Singh (Ind) 56.96

Men's Decathlon: 1. Hitoshi Maruono (Jpn) 7,321 points, 2. Kim Kun-woo (Kor) 7,031, 3. Kim San-ryong (Prk) 6,970

Women's 200m: 1. Damayanthi Darsha (Sri) 22.84 seconds, 2. Lyubov Perepelova (Uzb) 23.30, 3. Vineeta Tripathi (Ind) 23.39

Women's 800m: 1. Lin Na (Chn) 2:03.46, 2. Wang Yuanping (Chn) 2:04.11, 3. Rosa Kutty (Ind) 2:04.97

Women's 400m hurdles: 1. Song Yinglan (Chn) 57.73, 2. Yasuko Igari (Jpn) 58.90, 3. Norassela Khalid (Mal) 59.62

Women's 5,000m: 1. Wu Qingdong (Chn) 15:58.83, 2. Naomi Sakashita (Jpn) 16:01.53, 3. Supriati Sutono (Ina) 16:03.85

Women's 4x100 relay: 1. Sri Lanka 44.23, 2. India 44.48, 3. China 44.80

Women's 4x400 relay: 1. India 3:31.54, 2. Japan 3:37.15, 3. South Korea 3:48.29

Final medals tally (Gold, Silver, Bronze)

China(9, 10, 10), India (6, 10, 5), Qatar (5, 2, 2), Japan (4, 8, 5), Saudi Arabia (4, 2, 3), Sri Lanka (4, 1, 0), Kazakhstan (3, 1, 1), Thailand (2, 2, 0), Korea (1, 3, 5), Kyrgystan (1, 1, 1), Iran (1, 1, 1), Uzbekistan (1, 1, 0), Indonesia (1, 0, 1), Jordan (1, 0, 0), Chinese Taipei (0, 1, 1), DPR Korea (0, 0, 3), Malaysia (0, 0, 2), Kuwait (0, 0, 1), Oman (0, 0, 1), Syria (0, 0, 1).