Wang sets record as China clinch two golds in Asian Athletics C'ship

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China continued their medal tally on the second day of the 23rd Asian Athletics Championship in Doha with Wang Zheng and Lu Minjia bagging two golds respectively in the hammer throw and long jump.

Wang, the runner-up of 2017 London Worlds and an Asian Record holder, threw a championship record of 75.66m in the women's hammer throw. Improving round-to-round, Wang took the women's hammer throw, reaching 75.66m in the sixth round to hold off compatriot Luo Na, who hit 72.23m in round four.

The 25-year-old Luo, who won a hammer throw gold medal for China in Asian Games last year, was the only other athlete to go past the 70m mark with a 72.23m for the silver. Japan's Akane Watanabe finished in bronze with a 63.54m.

China's second gold on Monday was won by Lu Minjia, who edged her rivals with a distance of 6.38 meters in the long jump.

Lu was the 2009 World Youth Champion and set an Asian youth record of 6.74m in that year. After an Asian Junior title, she was runner-up at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships and won gold medals at the 2012 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships.

Another top display came in the men's javelin throw as the Asian record Holder Cheng Chao-Tsun of Chinese Taipei finished an 86.72m throw in the second round to take the title. India's Shivpal Singh, who runs a personal best of 86.23m, held off to take the silver.

China's Wu Zhiqiang (C) runs a personal best time to finish third in men's 100m. /VCG Photo

In the men's 100m, Chinese sprinter Wu Zhiqiang completed the podium in a personal best timing of 10.18 to take bronze. Indonesia's world under-20 champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri nearly pulled off an unlikely victory while Yoshihide Kiryu of Japan fought back in final three meters to take gold.

India collected their first two titles courtesy of Tajinder Pal Sing Toor, who took the shot put honor with 20.22m in his season's best, and Gomathi Marimutu who won the women's 800m after a fierce homestretch battle with China's Asian Games champion Wang Chunyu.

With two gold medals on the infield to add to the pair they won on Sunday, China currently lead the medal standings with four golds, six silvers and four bronzes in Doha.

(Top image via VCG: China's gold medallist Wang Zheng (R) and silver medallist Luo Na pose after the women's hammer throw final on the second day of the 23rd Asian Athletics Championships, April 22, 2019.)