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By Elshadai Negash
Doha, QATAR -- An impressive sprint finish gave Bahrain’s Tareq Mubarak Taher the men’s 3000m steeplechase title to cap the first day’s middle and long distance running action at the 15th Asian Games on Friday.
Taher, the former Kenyan Dennis Kipkirui, never panicked when China’s Liu Xiangqian dominated the race for much of the seven-and-half laps of competition. Instead, he kept his calm and sprinted past the Chinese runner with 300m to go en route to a 8:26.85 victory ahead of Qatar’s Gamal Belal Salem. It was Taher’s first major championship victory in Bahraini colours since changing allegiance two years ago.
Despite the absence of the event’s double world champion and world record holder Saif Said Shaheen, Xiangqian ensured the remaining favourites were kept on their toes for much of the race as he raced clear of the eleven starters. Chinese Taipei’s Wen Chien Wu tried to offer some kind of resistance to his rival from the mainland, but Xiangqian took the field through the first 1000m in 2:46.68 virtually unchallenged.
The 19-year-old continued his dominance as he completed the 2000m in 5:38.08, but begun to tire with two laps to go. He was eventually caught by Taher with 300m remaining and had to settle for bronze.
“I would have had more competition had [Shaheen] been here,” Taher said. “I did exactly as my coach told me. Since this is a major championship race, I waited until the end to launch my finishing kick. I was OK. I was not afraid when the Chinese runner took off like the way he did.”
In the day’s other action, Bahrain’s world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Maryam Yusuf Jamal won her 800m heat in 2:08.67 to progress to Thursday’s final. Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Yalovtseva (2:04.70) was the fastest qualifier in the first of three heats and should pose the biggest challenge to the Ethiopian-born runner.
World 800m/1500m champion Rashid Ramzi looked in a class of his own in the men’s 1500m qualifiers as he stormed away in the last lap to win his heat in 3:42.62, the fastest time in the preliminaries.
[Asst. Ed Note: Tareq Mubarak Taher is currently under investigation by the IAAF for age manipulation, the world governing body's General Secretary Pierre Weiss confirmed at last month's IAAF Council Meeting in Monaco. Taher won the 2000m steeplechase title at the 2005 World Youth Championships, and was the silver medallist in the 3000m steeplechase at this year's World Junior Championships. His purported date of birth is 01-Dec-1989, making him barely 17. ]
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