THROWS PREVIEW:
Shot Put:
India’s World University Games silver medalist Inderjeet Singh is leading the Asian Rankings for the season with a superb 20.65m achieved at home during the Federation Cup at the beginning of this month.
Although he missed a podium finish during the last edition of the Asian championships at Pune, Singh went on to earn a bronze medal in the Asian Games at Incheon last year.
Inderjeet further confirmed his consistency with another superb toss of 20.42m during the national trials for Universiade at Patiala on 28 May.
In the absence of Saudi Arabia’s gold medalist Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi, the Indian’s nearest rival in Wuhan would be Pune and Incheon silver medalist Chang Ming-Huang from Chinese-Taipei, having a PB of 20.58m.
The mainland China also fielding two throwers with personal bests over 20 metres in Wang Guangfu (20.20) and Tian Zizhong (20.05).
A medal sweep is imminent for China in the women’s section. Though the hosts are not fielding Gong Lijiao, the top woman for this event in 2015, the next three throwers Guo Tianqian (18.57), Gao Yang (18.46) and Bian Ka (17.53) are likely to wrestle it between them for the top honours.
Discus Throw:
Here again an Indian tops in the list as Vikas Gowda, with his 65.75m winning mark in Tritov Invitational at La Jolla (United States) last month, is looking formidable to defend his title from Pune.
Asian record-holder and London Olympics silver medalist Ehsan Hadadi (Iran, PB: 69.32m) started season with modest 61plus in Eugene Diamond League beaten by Gowda who threw 64.41 for 3rd place.
Also in the fray are his country-mate Mahmoud Samimi, Pune Silver medalist, and Qatar’s bronze
medalist Ahmed Mohammed Dheeb.
Essa Mohd Garib Al-Zankawi, who sets a Kuwaiti national record 63.22m while winning the Arab championships at Manama last month along with Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi (PB: 60.08m) are also the other athletes to watch in Wuhan.
Another medal sweep is likely for the hosts as defending champion Su Xinyue along with Asiad silver medalist Lu Xiaoxin and bronze medalist Tan Jian represents China in the women’s event.
There is no Indian entered at Wuhan. Seema Antil of India was the gold medalist in Incheon Asiad.
That leaves only last edition’s bronze medalist Li Tsai-Yi of Chinese Taipei and Subenrat Insaeng of Thailand, who recently set a national record 60.09m at Taipei International Open Meet will have to challenge the Chinese on their own turf.
Hammer Throw:
Tajikistan’s Dilshod Nazarov, defending champion and three-times successive Asian Games gold medalist, will be the hot favourite to win again in Wuhan.
Nazarov leads the continental lists with his 79.36m throw achieved during the 54th edition of Golden Spikes IAAF World Challenge at Ostrava on May 25.
Qatar’s world junior champion Ashraf Amgad Elseify (76.37), China’s Wang Shizhu (75.20) and Iranian Kaveh Mousavi (75.26) are the ones expecting to make the contest interesting in the Chinese town.
The Chinese are favourite again on the women’s side.
Incheon Asiad champion Zhang Wenxiu (77.33m), Pune silver medalist Liu Tingting (73.06) and 2012 world junior championship finalist Luo Na (69.81) will have a free ride in Wuhan.
Javelin Throw:
Hosts are preserving Zhao Qinggang, who sets an Asian Record 89.15 to win the Asian Games at Incheon last year, for the World championships.
The same was the case with silver medalist Ryohei Arai of Japan. Hence it leaves the defending champion and Incheon bronze medalist Ivan Zaytsev (Uzbekistan) to spearhead the competition at Wuhan.
Two Japanese throwers with excellent personal bests, Murakami Yukifumi (85.96) and Genki Dean (84.28) as also another two from Chinese-Taipei, Cheng Chao-Tsun (81.78) and Huang Shih-Feng (82.11) will have to fight it out for the podium here.
Two bronze medalists, Risa Miyashita of Japan (Pune) and Annu Rani of India (Incheon) will vie for a medal in the women’s group with local girls Liu Shiying (62.77m) and Yang Xinli (61.92m) looking to clash for the gold position and to gain an automatic ticket to the World championships to be held at Beijing, later this year.
COMBINED EVENTS:
With the top guns missing in action at the Asian championships, Japan’s season leader Akihiko Nakamura leading the table in decathlon with 8043 points. His nearest rivals would come from the host nation in Guo Qi (7804) and Hu Yufei (7582).
Nakamura is a silver medalist in the last edition of the championships at Pune and won a bronze at the Asian Games last year.
In heptathlon the favourite would be Uzbekistan’s Ekaterina Voronina (5912 pts). A silver medalist in Pune, Voronina elevated to gold position at the Incheon Asiad.
The hosts are fielding Incheon silver medalist Wang Qingling (5873) while Japan sends Megu Hemphill, who equals the national junior record of 5678 points last month at Wakayama.
Prominent among the other competitors are India’s former Asian junior champion Purnima Hembram (5462), China’s Li Weijian (5509) and Chinese-Taipei’s Chu Chia-Ling (5519).
Ram. Murali Krishnan for AAA
