India 2, Pak 0: kabaddi, tennis over, hockey next

Talking to a North Korean athlete is considered a scoop of sorts here. The special security cover has made interaction with hosts’ prized guests almost impossible. So when I came face-to-face with a North Korean athlete at the main stadium on Monday, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Just as the first round heats of the 400m got over Hwang II-Sok was still in the mixed zone on way to the locker room. For a change the security personal who are normally glued to the North Koreans was missing. I followed him to the locker and the asked him the obvious question. How do you react being in South Korea? ‘‘Very good. People are good and it feels good to be here. This is the land of my grandparents and I am happy to be here,’’ he said. He goes on to say that he was born to Korean parents in Japan and in fact he still lives in Tokyo. Hwang said his cocah was Susumo Takano, one of the greatset 400 metres runner Asia has produced. Hwang clocked 48.50s in his heat to qualify for the semi-finals. Talk about the life in South Korea and his eyes lit up. But when I ask about getting married in South Korea, he replies with a quick ‘‘no comment.’’
(Norris Pritam)

In the 19 degree temperature Asahara Nobuharu of Japan warmed the atmosphere with his brilliant sprint even as the starter’s gun failed on Monday. The sprinter had to point out that it was not his mistake but the failure of the gun in the first round heats of the men’s 100 meters. The clerk of the course had called a false start on Nobuhar’s name which was later rectified.

And once Nobuharu came in full flow there was no stopping him as he won the heat in 10.40 seconds. ‘‘No I was not nervoius by the false start. It was a fault of the gun,’’ Nobuharu said after the race. ‘‘Everyone is asking whether I will break the 10-second barrier in Asia,’’ he said. ‘‘If this was a Mondo track I would have surely done. Let me see what I can do. I am confident,’ he added.

The heat generated by Nobuharu was enough for India’s K M Beenamol and Madhuri Saxena to carry on from where Nobuharu had left. Both the Indian girls qualifed winning their respective heats in the 800 metres. But Beenamol’s was a tied effort as she clocked 2:02.01. ‘‘I had a severe pain my ankle but I carried on,’’ the national champion said. Even though Beenamol won her heat, she ran a tactcially poor race.

Form the word go she was boxed in by Wang Yuanping of China and Tomoko Mastsushima of Japan.

If she repeats the mistake it may become difficult for her to to do well in tomorrow’s race. Moreover, Beenamol is scheduled to run the 400 metres heats also before 800 metres final.

Women javelin thrower Gurmeet Kaur came fourth while Gulab Chand left the 10,000 metres race midway through. There were doubts about his fitnees before the team left for Busan. But Amateur Athletics Federation of India has insisted that he was fit.

Before the start of the 10,000m Japan’s Tomoo Tsubota and Qatari Ahmed Ibrahim Warsama were the hot favourites.

But Tsubota finished seventh even after remaining with leaders for the better part of the race.

Try as he might, Warsama could not catch up with Al-Otaibi. The Saudi athlete clocked 28 minutes 41.89 seconds. Warsama’s silver came in 28:43.53, while Zakaria had the bronze in 28:46.11.