The women’s 60m hurdles championship will be remembered for its extremely high level of suspense. Only one thing was certain: a Kazakhstani athlete would become the champion. However, which of the two contenders would prove strongest remained a big question. Almaty’s Anastasia Pilipenko and Ust-Kamenogorsk’s sprinter Anastasia Soprunova are very closely matched. Both participated in the London Olympics, both were top favorites at the Kazakhstan Championships in late January, and both even won their preliminary heats at the Asian Championships in Doha.
When the moment of the long-awaited final arrived, the two Anastasias burst from the blocks as if this were their last chance to win anything in their careers. Just over 8 seconds later, they crossed the finish line simultaneously, leaving everyone in total uncertainty as to who the Asian champion was! The scoreboard showed identical figures in the “result” column: 8.17. Only a photo finish could determine Anastasia Soprunova’s advantage over her namesake by a few thousandths of a second. It is worth noting that the Ust-Kamenogorsk athlete defeated Pilipenko in the same style at the home Kazakhstan Championships. Thus, it can be stated with confidence that Soprunova firmly intends to participate in the second Olympic Games of her career.
For a change of pace, Olga Rypakova also competed in the long jump. Despite this not being the primary discipline for the Olympic Champion, the triple jump star still managed to secure a bronze medal in Doha. Remarkably, her very first attempt of 6.22m proved to be the “bronze” winning jump.
Olga was clearly not chasing a record result, as evidenced by her skipping the third and sixth attempts. Even regarding the sixth attempt, Rypakova understood that her current mark would only bring her the bronze medal, yet this did not motivate her to return to the pit. The Olympic champion wisely chose to be cautious and not exert herself fully in a secondary competition, as her main goal is to prepare thoroughly for the competitions in August.
Unfortunately, Regina Kaisarova from Semey performed below her capabilities, stopping at 170 cm. Normally, Regina only begins her competition at this height, and in her last start, she jumped over 180 cm. This time, however, she could not replicate such an outstanding result. The reasons for this will be clarified later.
LONG JUMP. Women (12 participants):
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Mayookha Johny (India) – 6.35
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Bui Thi Thu Thao (Vietnam) – 6.3
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Olga RYPAKOVA (Kazakhstan, EKR) – 6.22 …10. Yekaterina EKTOVA (Kazakhstan) – 5.57
60 M RUN. Women:
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Viktoriya ZYABKINA (Kazakhstan) – 7.27 – Championship Record
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Yuan Qiqi (China) – 7.33
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Dutee Chand (India) – 7.37 …7. Rima KASHAFUTDINOVA (Kazakhstan) – 7.50
800 M RUN. Women:
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Marta Hirato Yota (Brunei) – 2:04.59
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Nimali Liyanarachchi (Sri Lanka) – 2:04.88
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Tatyana NEROZNAK (Kazakhstan) – 2:06.32
60 M HURDLES. Women:
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Anastasia SOPRUNOVA (Kazakhstan, EKR) – 8.168
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Anastasia PILIPENKO (Kazakhstan) – 8.170
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Valentina Kibalnikova (Uzbekistan) – 8.32
HIGH JUMP. Women (9 participants):
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Svetlana Radzivil (Uzbekistan) – 1.92
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Nadiya Dusanova (Uzbekistan) – 1.88
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Zheng Xingyuan (China) – 1.84 …6. Regina KAISAROVA (Kazakhstan, EKR) – 1.70
Alexey Gubanov Photo – athleticsasia.org Source: vksport.kz
