2019 Asian Champs: Yavi wins second gold (5000m, steeplechase)

DOHA (QAT, Apr 23): On the third day of the 23rd Asian Championships in Doha, Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete won the 10,000m in a championship record of 31:15.62 ahead of Japan’s Hitomi Niiya who was also under the previous mark with 31:22.63. Teammate Winfred Yavi won the 3000m steeplechase in 9:46.18 after 5000 m gold while Bahrain also won the inaugural mixed relay ahead of India, 3:15.75 World lead to 3:16.47. Salwa Eid Naser, who clocked a 51.14 leg in the mixed relay, also equalled the championship record in the 200m heats in 22.84 and won bronze for Bahrain in the 4x100m in 43.61 behind China (42.87 World lead) and Kazakhstan (43.36). China as initial top placers (38.88) in men´s 4×100 m was disqualified and gold went to Thailand in 38.99. In the combined events, Uzbekistan’s Ekaterina Vornina won the heptathlon with 6198 points and Japan’s Keisuke Ushiro narrowly won the decathlon title ahead of Kuwait’s Majed Al-Zaid, 7872 to 7838 points. Elsewhere, Uzbekistan’s Nadezhda Dusanova cleared 1.90m to win the high jump, Chinese Li Ling pole vault 461 and Thailand’s Parinya Chuaimaroeng won the triple jump with 13.72 (-1.5) with former Olympic champion Olga Rypakova from Kazakhstan a non-starter. Fastest in semifinals of 200 m Chinese Xie Zhenye 20.35 (+1.3) and in 110 m hurdles heats Xie Wenjun 13.47.