Guangzhou : India took both the gold medals in the 400-metre hurdles to match their opening day's performance in the track and field competition at the 16th Asian Games at the Aoti Stadium here yesterday.
Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji scalped some established runners to win gold in the 400-metre hurdles with a personal best time of 56.15secs, while teammate Joseph Abraham claimed the top spot in the men's 400-metre hurdles with a time of 49.96secs for another rare Indian double.
India had opened the track and field competition last Sunday with Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut first completing a fine one-two in the women's 10,000-metre and later Sudha Singh capping a perfect night with a final lunge to win the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase.
Making amends
Earlier during the evening, Japan's Chisato Fukushima made amends for her 100-metre disappointment with a light wind assisted run to finish in 23.60secs and clinch gold in the 200-metre gold ahead of Vietnam's Vu Thi Huong and veteran Uzbek runner Guzel Khubbieva.
Iran once again reiterated their rise in sporting arena with Sajad Moradi running a blistering 800-metre final to take the gold with a time of 1 minute, 45.45secs, leaving Iraq's Adnan Al Muntafage (1:45.88) and Qatar's Musaab Abdul Rahman Bala (1:46.19) for silver and bronze respectively.
Indian great P.T. Usha then watched in dismay as her ward Tintu Lukka led most of the race but finished third behind Kazakhstan's Margarita Matsko and Vietnam's Thanh Hang Truong in the women's 800-metre final.
"A medal is a medal and I am glad she has picked one up so early in her career. She is inexperienced and that is what cost her a gold medal," P. T. Usha observed.
