Wins for favourites Liu and Jamal as Qatar get 5,000m gold

Dec 12, 2006, 16:41 GMT

Doha, Qatar - World champion and world record holder Liu Xiang had no problems in winning the 110 metre hurdles at the 15th Asian Games in Doha on Tuesday.

Liu won in a time of 13.15 seconds, beating his team-mate Shi Dongpeng, who ran a personal best time of 13.28 seconds to take second place.

The bronze went to Japan's Masato Naito.

Liu said he had not intended to run so fast. 'Before the race I planned to run slower, but after the start I saw a black shadow following me. I was scared to be defeated by him. So I picked up my pace.'

Another of the overwhelming favourites, Maryam Yusuf Jamal had just as few problems in the women's 1,500m as she won in a time of 4:08.63 minutes.

Ethiopian-born Jamal, who had earlier won the 800m, finished first ahead of Japan's Yuriko Kobayashi, who beat India's Sinimole Puaulose on the finish line.

James Kurui was a popular winner for the hosts in the men's 5,000m as he lead three Kenyan-born runners.

Kurui won in a time of 13:38.90 seconds, beating Burundian Salem Mcheru Jawher, who finished 2.2 seconds behind. The bronze went to another Qatar athlete, Sultan Khamis Zaman.

The men's javelin competition was won by South Korean Park Jae Myoung with a throw of 79.30m. Japan's Yukifumi Murakami was second with 78.15, while China's Li Rongxiang took bronze.

The women's 4x400m relay went to the defending champions India, who fought neck and neck throughout the race with China but managed to break away with 100m to go. The final Chinese runner was caught on the last metres by Kazakhstan, who took the silver from China.

India's winning time was 3:32.95 minutes.

China had more luck in the women's 4x100m relay, winning in a time of 44.33 seconds, with Japan taking the silver and Taiwan the bronze after third-placed Thailand had been disqualified.

In the men's 4x100m Thailand won ahead of Japan in a photo finish with the judges giving both teams a time of 39.21, but Thailand being adjudged to have finished ahead.

China's Gao Shuyin won the women's pole vault with a jump of 4.30 metres. Malaysian Samsu Rosalinda also managed 4.30, but finished second based on her previous vaults.

Japan's Ikuko Nishikori took the bronze medal.

The first four finishers in the men's triple jump each broke their personal best, with China's Li Yanxi winning with a leap of 17.06m, from Kazakh Roman Valiyev and South Korean Kim Deok-Hyeon.

The final gold medal of the athletics competition was won by Saudi Arabia, which won the 4x400m men's relay with a time of 3:05.31 minutes.

The silver medal was won by India, which managed to just edge out Sri Lanka on the final stretch.