Gowda the silver lining for Indian athletics

Kobe: Rattled by dope scandals, Indian athletics finally has something to cheer about after discus thrower Vikas Gowda won a silver medal despite a below-par on the opening day of the 19th Asian Championships.

National record holder Gowda finished second with an effort of 61.58m, much below his season`s best of 64.91, behind Iranian Asian record holder Ehsan Hadadi who also had a below par 62.27m. The bronze medal went to Wu Jian of China (56.61m). This was the Iranian`s fourth consecutive Asian title though he was well below his season`s best of 65.89m and Asian record of 69.32m.Gowda, who has had a good season with three marks over 64 metres, started poorly with a 58.88 effort though he could clear 60m mark with a 60.99 in his third attempt. His fourth attempt was also below 60m mark before he hurled the disc to the silver-winning 61.58m.By that time, Hadadi had already cleared 62.27m in his fourth attempt. Gowda made his last effort to go past the Iranian leader but could only clear 58.37 in his final attempt. PTI