ATHLETICS – BAHRAIN’S superstar elite athlete Winfred Yavi made history yesterday after winning the women’s 5,000 metres at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan – completing an incredible gold medal hat-trick.
Yavi triumphed amongst a 12-runner field in a time of 15 minutes 10.18 seconds. The reigning Olympic champion and former world champion navigated wet track conditions and overcame a spirited challenge from silver-medallist Nozomi Tanaka of Japan.
The pair were engaged in a heated two-runner battle at the bell which continued until midway through the last lap. Yavi then showed her class despite competing in her third final in less than a week at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, charging ahead to cross the finish line solo with a comfortable gap from Tanaka, who secured silver in 15:11.65, which was just 1.47 seconds behind. Parul Chaudhary from India won the bronze medal in 15:14.61.
Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet was also contesting the event. The ex-Olympic champion finished in 16:09.10 for ninth place.
With her victory, Yavi became the first athlete ever to win the women’s 5,000m, the women’s 10,000m, and the women’s 3,000m steeplechase at the same edition of the quadrennial Asiad.
It was also the sixth Asian Games crown of the 26-year-old’s career, and it earned the kingdom’s delegation their ninth gold and 14th medal overall so far in Aichi-Nagoya. That placed them in seventh on the medal table behind only China, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, while also being the top-ranked Arab nation.
Elsewhere yesterday in the track and field events, Bahrain’s Nelly Korir kept her hopes alive for a sensational middle-distance golden double after advancing to the women’s 800m final. She finished second in the first of two preliminary round heats with a time of 2:02.92, earning her an automatic berth in tomorrow’s medal race, scheduled for a 1.50pm start on the concluding day of the athletics competition.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s quartet of Ali Haji, Raihanah Garoubah, Abdulraof Rashed, and Salwa Eid Naser, who is already a double gold-medallist at this year’s Asiad, squeezed into the final of the 4x100m mixed relay.
They qualified for the medal round as ‘lucky losers’ after going fifth in the first of two heats in 42.18 seconds.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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