ATHLETICS – BAHRAIN bagged three more medals in athletics yesterday – headlined by Birhanu Balew’s men’s 10,000 metres gold – at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Balew successfully defended his crown in the men’s 10,000 metres final at the 30,000-capacity Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
Fellow-Bahrainis Albert Kiptoo and Edidiong Odiong also stepped onto the podium. They were both bronze-medallists, with Kiptoo joining Balew in their race’s top three and Odiong taking third in the women’s 100m final.
Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) vice-president and the kingdom’s delegation head in Aichi-Nagoya Shaikh Isa bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa later met with Bahrain’s star athletes and congratulated them on their successes. Shaikh Isa was accompanied by BOC secretary general Faris Al Kooheji.
Yesterday’s results brought Bahrain’s medal tally at the quadrennial Olympic Council of Asia spectacle to eight so far, including four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. They were won in athletics, swimming, and mixed martial arts.
In yesterday’s men’s 10,000m final, Balew put in a strong finishing kick in the race’s last half-lap. He paced himself amongst the leading group for virtually the entire distance, before making his move for the front with a blistering sprint, leaving his closest challengers behind.
Balew crossed the finish line in 28 minutes and 27.51 seconds with a comfortable gap from the rest of the field. India’s Gulveer Singh came away with the silver medal in 28:29.38 while Kiptoo secured bronze in 28:34.38.
Balew secured the fourth Asian Games title of his career. The 30-year-old is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday when he goes for the long-distance double in the men’s 5,000m final. He is one of two Bahrainis entered in the run, with the other being Abdikani Hamid.
On the distaff, Odiong claimed her place on the women’s 100m podium yesterday after finishing her final in 11.33 seconds. She came home narrowly behind gold-medallist Yujie Chen from China, who won in 11.06s, while Shanti Pereira of Singapore took silver in 11.21s.
Bahrain’s Raihanah Garoubah was also in the race. She was classified seventh in 11.53s.
Meanwhile, also on the track yesterday, Bahrain’s former world champion and Paris 2024 Olympics silver-medallist Salwa Eid Naser booked her place in the women’s 400m final.
Naser won the first of three preliminary round heats with an effortless performance of 53.02s, earning her the automatic berth in the medal round. Her time was the third-quickest in the stage. The final is scheduled for today at 3.45pm, Bahrain time.
Fellow-Bahraini Musa Isah came up short in his bid for the men’s 400m final, finishing fourth in the third of three heats in 46.38s for 13th overall amongst 26 competitors.
In the men’s 100m, Bahrainis Abdulraof Rashid and Ali Haji came up short in their hopes of challenging for a medal. They placed 14th and 15th overall amongst the 24 sprinters across the three semi-final heats, missing out on the final. Rashid clocked a personal best of 10.34s while Haji had a mark of 10.36s.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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