Asian Games: Povamma win bronze in women’s 400m race

Asian Games: Povamma win bronze in women’s 400m race

www.mangaloretoday.com

Incheon Asiad, Sept 28: Mangalorean girl MR Poovamma bagged a bronze in women’s 400m race as India swelled their medal count from athletics competition to three at the Asian Games on Sunday. Poovamma clocked 52.36secs in the final behind pre-race favourite Oluwakemi Adekoya (51.59secs) of Bahrain and Vietnam’s Thi Lan Quach (52.06secs) at the Inchon Main Stadium here.

24-year-old Poovamma, who was the second fastest off the block in the final, could not touch her personal and season’s best of 51.73secs which she clocked at the National Inter-State Championships in Lucknow in June. Indian quartermilers Arokia Rajiv and M Povamma Raju put up a fine show to clinch the bronze medals in the men and women’s 400 metre events, respectively, at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium in the 17th Asian Games here Sunday.

Rajiv clocked a personal best of 45.92 secs to win the bronze while the gold medal went to Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Ahmed Masrahim, who set a Games Record of 44.46 secs. The silver was clinched by 18-year-old Abbas Abubakar of Bahrain with a timing of 45.62 secs.

Masrahim had also set the Asian record of 44.43 secs in the Diamond League in Lausanne in July.

In the women’s event, Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya clinched the gold medal with a timing of 51.59 secs. Vietnam’s Thi Lan Quach got the silver with a personal best effort of 52.06 secs and Povamma got the bronze with a timing of 52.36 secs.