By A Correspondent
India’s Rupal Chaudhary added one bronze medal to her collection from the World Under-20 athletics championships in Cali, Colombia on the fourth day on Thursday, as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo was denied the sprint double by a lesser-known Israeli Blessing Akawasi Afrifah.
Rupal, competing in her first international meet took the 400m bronze behind Britain’s Yemi Mary John and Kenyan Damaris Mutunga in a personal best 51.85s. John (51.50s) and Mutunga (51.71s) also clocked personal best. The Kenyan also ran a National junior record in the process.
Rupal had earlier anchored the Indian mixed 400m relay team to silver behind the US. Only Hima Das, currently not competing in the 400m, had previously won a one-lap medal for India at these championships. Das won gold in the 2018 edition. With success for the Asian nations being rare in these championships in Colombia, Rupal brought cheer for India and the continent.
There was one more bronze for Asia on Wednesday as Yusuf Ali Abbas of Bahrain came third in men’s 400m in a personal best 45.80s. He had won the Arab U-20 championships in Tunisia earlier this year in a PB of 45.87s. The 19-year-old had come through the semifinals in third place but showed good finishing capability to come home for the bronze, his first medal at the global level.
Before the day was out, Tebogo, who set a world record of 9.91s in the 100m earlier, was edged at the finish in the 200m final by Afrifah. Both were credited with the same 19.96s for a combined championship record, the Israeli winning by six-thousandth of a second.
“I’m out of words,” said Afrifah, “For a second, I thought I’m second, but I am very happy to be second to Tebogo’. I achieved my dream.” Afrifah was seventh in Nairobi last year.
Tebogo said: “This is the best race that I have ever run in my life so far. I’m really grateful for the performance and it’s not everybody who can run these fast times, four days in a row.” He was referring to the schedule of six races in four days that he had to tackle in making it a gold-silver finish in Cali.
South African Lythe Pillay celebrated his victory in the men’s 400m even before the finish-line, a la Tebogo, as he powered to a personal best 45.80s to avenge his defeat last year when he had finished out of the podium.
“It was a difficult journey after coming in fourth last year,” said Pillay. “My hope was to come back and challenge for the title this year. I got covid in February and was hospitalised. It was a difficult year emotionally as well, trying to keep my hopes and faith up.”
Kenyan Faith Cherotich was another athlete who made up for disappointment in the last edition with a gold. Bronze at home in the previous edition, Cherotich took the 3000m steeplechase title this time with a time of 9:6.14..Ethiopians Sembo Alemayew and Messert Yeshaneh filled up the lower slots in the standings.
After a group of five broke away early, Alemayew stuck close to Cherotich but with two laps to go, the Kenyan, determined to take the title this time, built up a five-second lead over her rivals and then stretched it further before winning in 9:16.14. Alemayew won the silver well behind in 9:30.41.
One of those who retained the title from Nairobi was Finland’s heptathlete Saga Vanninen. She had plenty to spare at the finish with 6084 points with German Serina Riedel taking the silver at 5874.
On Wednesday, Jamaican Tina Clayton successfully defended her women’s 100m title clocking a championship record of 10.95s. In a one-two finish for Jamaica, Serena Cole took the silver in 11.14s while American Shawnti Jackson was just a hundredth of a second for the bronze. Jackson, better known as the daughter of 2005 World 400m hurdles champion Bershawn Jackson is bound to make a mark for herself in the coming days if performance in these championships is any indication.
“Coming out, my mindset wasn’t about a personal best or championship record, it was to defend my title,” said Clayton. “I didn’t feel any pressure. I have all the confidence that I put in the work, and I trusted my coach,” she was quoted as saying.
Emma Srala of Sweden dealt a severe blow to the double-double aspirations of Mine De Klerk by winning the women’s discus title on Wednesday. De Klerk who had won the shot-put gold earlier was defending her double crown won in Nairobi.
In the event Srala had a fourth-round throw of 56.15m that could not be matched. Desponia Areti Filippidou of Greece took the silver with a season best 54.48m whle De Klerk, despite a national under-20 record of 53.54m on her fifth throw had to be satisfied with the bronze. The South African had won the shot put-discus double in Nairobi.
Japan, with Hiroki Yanagita, a member of the senior team, on anchor led the qualifiers into the final in the men’s 4x100m relay with 39.12s. South Africa, Nigeria and the US won the other heats while Jamaica cocked second best at 39.24s, coming second in the heat won by Japan.
