New Delhi: Top Indian 800m runner Tintu Luka won the gold medal at Karlstad Grand Prix in Sweden in her first of the series of events planned as preparation for this month's World Championships in South Korea.
Tintu, who won a bronze in the Asian Championships at Kobe, Japan last month, clocked 2:02.58 to finish first. But her effort was well outside her national record of 1:59.17 and World Championships 'B' standard of 2:01.30.
Egle Balciunaite of Lithuania was second in 2:02.72 while Melissa Bishop of Canada bagged the bronze in 2:02.80.
Tintu has already crossed the World Championships 'B' standard when she clocked 2:01.25 to finish sixth in the Commonwealth Games last year.
Another Indian, Ghamanda Ram finished fifth in men's 800m with a timing of 1:47.25. The race was won by Mukhtar Mohammed of Great Britain in 1:45.90. Beijing Olympics silver medallist Ismail Ismail Ahmed of Sudan was second in 1:46.09. The World Championships 'B' qualifying standard for men's 800m race is 1:46.30.
Karlstad Grand Prix is first of the four races Tintu has planned to run in Europe in her bid to reach peak form at World Championships, to be held from August 27 to September 4.
Tintu will now travel to Holland for a meet in Amsterdam on August 6, before competing in events in Copenhagen on August 11 and in Brussels on August 13.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, August 03, 2011, 15:49