Turkey’s Yasemin Can stormed to an impressive gold medal in the women’s 10,000 metres on the final day of athletics at the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.
The Kenyan-born athlete, who won gold in the discipline at the European championships in Amsterdam, was far too good for the rest of the field at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday as she clocked 31 minutes and 18.20 seconds.
Can’s time didn’t threaten her personal best of 30:26.41 that she set at the Olympics last year in finishing seventh, but she still crossed over 30 seconds clear of Bahrain’s silver medallist Rose Chelimo (31:37:81) and the UAE’s Mohammed Alia (31:49:01), who retained the bronze she won four years ago.Alia, the Asian Games and Asian championships gold medallist, finished ahead of defending champion Shitaye Eshete, as the Bahraini only managed a fourth-place finish.Can completed a successful Games in which she also took silver in the 5000 metres behind Olympic 3000 metres steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet, and she’ll now set her sights on competing for medals at the world championships in London in August.
Turkey continued on the gold-medal trail, as Osman Can Ozdeveci hurled 19.83m in the first round to clinch the men’s shot put title.Sultan Alhebshi of Saudi Arabia grabbed silver with an effort of 19.56m, but his efforts to reel in Ozdeveci proved fruitless.
Uzbekistan’s Sergey Dementev, who was eighth at the 2015 Asian championships, snatched a late bronze with a throw of 18.56m, just two centimetres ahead of Iran’s Ali Samara.
Azerbaijan chalked up their 10th athletics gold medal in the men’s long jump T11 disability final.Elchin Muradov took victory after he leapt 5.76m to clinch gold ahead of Indonesia’s Abdul Dalimunte, who was well adrift with 5.28m.
There was a remarkable achievement for Azeri Zeynidin Bilalov, who joined his compatriot on the podium at the age of 51 with a jump of 5.22m.Bilalov is a two-time Paralympic silver medallist in the triple jump.
- AFP