NEW DELHE: PT Usha completed a glorious comeback from injury and ignominy, retaining the 400M crown for the fourth successive time with a record time to boot in the 8th Asian Track and Field Championship on November 17,

Usha’s time of 51.90 seconds not only lowered her own meet record of 5231 set at Singapore two years ago but also represented a personal best for her on Indian soil. It was her best since she clocked 51.61 for the national record at Canberra four years ago. Usha’s blistering pace, which secured her second gold medal of the meet, carried Shiny Wilson to her career best of 52,40 for a. wonderful one two, the third straight time that Indian Women “have ‘authored; ‘the Indian camp went delirious with joy, none more than Usha’s coach O.M. Nambiar.

The quick time clocked by the Usha and Shiny came as a surprise to most observers, who expected China’s half mile champion Sun Some to put up stiffer challenge for Usha. 2 Shiny Wilson, who represented / the event at the World Cupat Barcelona in September last and finished seventh in 53.80, had run a 52.90 in the National open at Madras a month earlier, losing the title to Usha in a photo finish.

For the record, Usha’s previous best in India was 52.82 seconds which she clocked in the 1987 Playmakers’ Interactional Meet here, She won the 1983 ATF title at Kuwait City in $4.20, the 1985 Crown at Jakarta in 52,62 and at Singapore two years ago in 5231.

Earlier in two events which did not lecture any Indians but held the sparse crowds attention nevertheless, Ibrahim Ismail (Qatar) and Hwang Hong Cuhl (South Korea) emerged unlikely winners over fancied athletes.

Ismail upstaged Asian record holder Mohammed Amer AlMalky of Omanina close finish in the 400M final. Ismail was timed 45,60 seconds, a bare one fifteth of a second ahead of Malky.

On the other hand, Hwang was left without any competition over the last40M or so as meet record holder Ahmed Hamada (Bahrain) gave up the chase after stak ing wood on the last hurdle.

Hwang won in 5029 seconds while Japan’s Takashi Kiyokawa was second in 50.94 and Yemen’s Suleiman Howailch was third in S1.26. Hamada strolled in last in $4.33.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 24, 1989