Susanthika wins 100 metres Silver

ASIAN GAMES: Doha, Dec. 9. - Sri Lanka's star woman sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe bagged women's 100m silver medal but vowed to win a gold in Monday's 200m final on day nine of the Asian Games continued at Khalifa Stadium here today.

Jayasinghe, the 100m gold medallist at the last Asian Games in Busan 2002, was had the quickest reaction time off the blocks but was comparatively slow in the first 25m. But she recovered quickly to fire all cylinders to recover by the next 50m. But she lacked that usual bullet-style last dash as Guzel Khubbieva clocked a season's best 11.27 seconds to bag the god medal.

The Lankan lass settled for the silver in 11.34 seconds, the identical timing she clocked to become the fastest woman at the 10th South Asian Games in Colombo four months back. Finishing 0.06 seconds behind Jayasinghe's Ruqaya Al Ghasara of Bahrain (11.40). It was 30-year-old Uzbekistani's maiden Asian Games gold medal, having won only a 4 x 100m relay silver in Bangkok, 1998. She was placed eighth in women's 100m at the 2002 Busan Games.

"I feel really happy. I thought there would be even more keen tussle at the end," said the fastest woman at the Doha Asian Games after she hugged the Lankan lass on the track to celebrate their victory.

Jayasinghe was happy with her achievement, though she failed in her Asian Games title defence. "Many thought I would skip the Games. I was on a hospital bed for five days just weeks before the Games. But none could beat my determination and courage. I came here to win. I thought I could do the final around 11.1 to 11.2 but it was not to be. Nevertheless, I have come this long way after recovering from that viral flu," she said.

The Sydney 2000 Olympic medallist was optimistic of winning women's 200m gold medal, that only Asian level medal that she is missing from her rich collection, which includes Sri Lanka's one and only IAAF World Championship medal. She has never won an Asian Games gold in her pet event, having won the 200m silver medal in Hiroshima, 1994. "This is going to be crucial. The next Asian Games would come after four years. I want to win that medal (200m). I am confident that I could go there. I am going to do that on Monday," a confident Lankan sprint queen said.

Asked what challenge she would expect from her Asian opponents, Jayasinghe said she is not concerned about that. "I don't care who will be there. I have a target and I would run an all out to be there first," said Jayasinghe immediately after her silver-medal winning feat under lights today.

Jayasinghe, who celebrates her birthday next Sunday (17), will run in women's 200m first round heat one, scheduled to be worked off at 9.27 am local time (11.57 am SL time) on Sunday. (DW)