21st Asian Athletics Championships– Jumps Preview

Asian record-holder Mutaz Essa Barshim (2.43m) is high on the cards together with younger brother Muamer Aissa Barshim and host nation’s Zhang Guowei (2.35), the podium-finishers of Incheon Asiad.

Mutaz is one of the top athletes from Asia competing in the Diamond League at America’s track town Eugene on 29-30 May and travelling to Wuhan thereafter.

The Chinese also fielding World University Games bronze medalist Wang Yu (PB: 2.33m), anticipating a second medal here.   Iran’s Keyvan Ghanbarzadeh, the joint silver medalist in the last edition at Pune, will be another athlete to watch at Wuhan.

Asian Games winner Svetlana Raddzivil (Uzbekistan) and silver medalist Zheng Xingjuan (China) are the top rated athletes on Wuhan start-lists for women’s high jump.

Two other Chinese jumpers Wang Yang and Zhang Luyu will attempt to get the minor medals.

Pole Vault:

In the absence of top two medalists from Pune Asian championships and Incheon Asian Games, bronze medalist Jin Min-Sub of Korea appeared favourite in the men section.

However he is expecting stiff challenge from two Japanese, Yamamoto Seito (5.75m) and Hiroki Ogita (5.70m), as well as three Chinese—Zhang Wei (5.62), Huang Bokai (5.61) and Yao Jie (5.60m)—to tackle a medal at Wuhan.

The Chinese vaulters led by Pune and Incheon gold medalist Li Ling (4.65m) besides Ren Mengqian (4.50) and Xu Huiqin (4.40) are looking for a medal sweep at Wuhan.

Japan’s Incheon silver medalist Abiko Tomomi (4.40) will be the only other athlete for a medal quest here if the Indian federation withdrew national record-holder Sureka from their Wuhan-bound squad.

Long Jump:

Eight athletes who jumped over 8 metres are among the 25 athletes entered here.  The Chinese trio include Pune bronze medalist Tang Gongchen (8.09m), Incheon bronze medalist Gao Xinglong (8.21m) and Huang Changzhou (8.14).

Japan’s Yohei Sugai, who leapt 8.18m ahead of India’s Asian silver medalist Kumaravel Premkumar (8.04) at Mt. San Antonio College Relays at Walnut last month also in for a medal at Wuhan.

Saudi Arabia’s national junior record-holder Ahmed Fayaz Al-Dosari (8.12) and Ted Hooper, who migrated to Chinese-Taipei from the United States recently, with an 8.08m leap at the beginning of this month at Irvine are also in the fray.

India fields a second entry in Ankit Sharma, the National Games victor earlier this year with a personal best 8.04m.

From the last edition at Pune, silver medalist Anastasiya Juravleva (Uzbek) and Mayookha Johny (India) are returning to claim a medal at Wuhan.

Former world youth champion Lu Minjia (6.79m), season leader Zhou Ziaoxue (6.55) and Xu Xiaoling (PB: 6.63) will provide the home challenge in the women’s division.

Japan’s Kai Konomi (6.64) and Korean Jung Soon-Ok (6.76) are the other top guns looking to set the competition on fire.

Triple Jump:

A full set of podium-finishers from last year’s Asian Games — Chinese Cao Shuo and Dong Bin together with Korea’s Kim Deok-Hyeon — will be in action at Wuhan.

A third entrant from China, Xu Xiaolong, is leading the season’s list with a mark of 16.93m registered at National Grand Prix in Taiyuan a fortnight ago.

Kazakhstan’s former Asian champion Roman Valiyev (31) and Qatar’s 2010 Asian Games bronze medalist Rashid Ahmed Al-Mannai are the other keen contestants to watch at Wuhan.

Pune Asian champion Anastasiya Juravleva dropped to a disappointing seventh place in last year’s Asian Games at Incheon.  The 14.55m jumper is all set to make amends at Wuhan.

Her fellow Uzbek Aleksandr Kotlyarova and Kazakh Irina Ektova, the silver and bronze medalists in both Pune and Incheon respectively, will be there while Asian record-holder and Olympic champion Olga Rypakova giving it a miss to the Asian championships.

Wang Wupin, ranking second in the season with a 14.10m leap behind Rypakova in Asian lists, will lead the host team with former Asian junior champion Li Yanmei (14.35) and world youth silver medalist Wang Rong (14.09).