Ashwini,Joseph overcome hurdles,strike gold for India

Once there was the original Ashwini Nachappa who snapped at her heels in the late 80s and sneaked out a couple of wins.

Once there was the original Ashwini Nachappa who snapped at her heels in the late 80s and sneaked out a couple of wins. Now theres Ashwini Chidananda Akkunji the talent from Udipi who is eyeing P T Ushas 400 m hurdles record of 55.42.

Ashwini ran a sensational race here this evening at 56.15 seconds,slower than Ushas mark,but fast enough to bring India the womens 400 m hurdles gold. Minutes later,Joseph Abraham pulled an entire rabbit-sprint out of the hat to bring India the mens 400 m hurdles gold in 49.96 a rare golden-double that hauled the arclights right back on the event that Usha made memorable that 1984 evening in Los Angeles.

Suddenly,Indias track athletes seemed to be leaping with fleet-footed ease over stumbling blocks both real and metaphorical,setting alight Guangzhous Aoti stadium track a fact not lost on the Chinese who reserve some sort of reverence for hurdlers in an era dominated by their own Liu Xiang.

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India would be happy for the 23-year-old,59 girl whose lengthy strides put such a dominant distance between her and Chinas Xing Wang on the last straight that she finished a good metre-and-a-half ahead of her rival in her best-ever race.

In Ashwini with her height,agility and fluid technique India has unearthed a genuine Olympic-level talent. But only a sustained performance can deliver on the promise that she holds. She can do better than this,and be an Olympic-level athlete because she has a good technique and has gained from training abroad, said Shiny Wilson.

Ashwini,who was born a year after Ushas 1986 Asiad quadruple,grew up listening to tales of the Usha-Ashwini Nachappa face-offs at home in Udipi where her parents took great interest in sport. They were legendary in my village,and with my height,I knew athletics was my sport. I started in the 400 flat,then tried 800,but have been focusing on the hurdles for the past once month, said the runner,whose heavy slashing of seconds since the Commonwealth Games a month ago has attracted wide attention.

P T Usha has been an idol,and I will aim for her mark next year around the Asian championships, Ashwini said,adding that though she was confident of a medal after topping the heats,the gold was unexpected. I put in my everything into the last lap,and pushed for gold.

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Both Ashwini and Jauna Murmu went under 57 seconds tonight,a first for an Indian athlete since Usha ran her record hurdles.

For Joseph Abraham of Kottayam one of the shortest hurdlers in Asia but taking heart from the champion strides of the small-sized champion hurdler Bershawn Jackson the Asian Games was about gunning for the medal more than bettering his timing. Trained by well-known track coach K P Thomas,the Southern Railway employee posted at Nagercoil wasnt too enthused by his timings.

I dont want to consider this my ultimate achievement and would like to aim bigger for the Olympics, he said of the race in which he kept defending champion Naohiro Kawakita of Japan at bay.

Running in the third lane,Joseph faced a tough challenge from Saudi Shaharili Bandar,but went below 50,to gain his seasons best numbers. Men havent done too well at the Asiad for India,and only bronze or silvers had come. So I am happy to win a gold in this event, he said.