AUG 30: Javelin thrower Jagdish Bishnoi turned in a major surprise striking a gold with an effort of 76.81 metres as India bagged four silver and two bronze medals to let slip its grip of the top position to China in the Asian Track and Field Athletic Championships here on Wednesday.A calm and composed Bishnoi hurled the javelin to give India a golden moment on a day when sprinter Rachita Mistry failed to live up to expectations.Superpower China surged ahead with six gold, seven silver and nine bronzes on the third day while India was perched second with four gold, seven silver and nine bronzes.Gulf nation Qatar (4-2-0) sprung a surprise and it went ahead of Japan (2-4-4) in the medals tally with final day of the championship remaining.``This is not my best effort but I had planned it systematically. I did not try to rush things once I neared my goals. A very satisfying one in my career," said Bishnoi after claiming the gold medal.Korea's Chu Ki-Young hurled the javelin 75.27 metres to settle for silver while China's Sun Shipeng (74.34m) Took the bronze.In the women's javelin event, Gurmeet Kaur had to be content with silver, as also women's quartermiler KM Beenamol, and sprinters Saraswati Dey and Anil Kumar.The glamour events of athletics - the men's and women's 100 metre sprint - both provided a silver each for India, and also a bronze in women's event.While the Indian fan's eyes were set on Rachita Mistry to do the trick, an unassuming Saraswati Dey came up with her personal best of 11.40 seconds to take the silver ahead of Rachita (11.46 sec).It was a plucky show indeed from the girls to keep the Indian flag flying high. Uzbekistan's Lyubov Perepelova took the gold finishing the race in 11.31 secs.Anil Kumar, the lone Indian in the men's 100m dash, turned up a stunning performance running in lane three and completing it in creditable 10.35 secs.In the field which had the likes of Jamal al Safar of Saudi Arabia and Qatar's Khalaid al Obaidly, Anil had an enviable task.Off from the blocks in a flash, Anil had that edge till the 50-metre mark, but little did he bargain for the burst of Jamal from lane one. In the end, Anil did well to edge past China's Yin Hanzhao for the silver.Jamal won the gold with 10.32 secs while Hanzhao settled for bronze .01 secs off Anil at 10.36.``I pulled a muscle near the 80-metre mark and it came in the way of a better finish,'' said Anil.Disappointment was writ large over his face for having missed a life-time chance of a gold.``I thought it was mine after that stupendous start and keeping it that way till the half-way mark. It could have been a lot closer otherwise,'' Anil said.
