Ogunode clocks best time in 100m heats, puts Qatar on course for gold medal

Qatar’s Femi Seun Ogunode (centre), Mongolia’s Shijirbaatar Ganbold (left)  and Singapore’s Li Loong Calvin Kang (right) compete in the heats of the men’s 100m during the 17th Asian Games at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium.

By Anil John/Incheon

Ogunode, the 2010 gold medallist at both the 200m and 400m at the Guangzhou Asian Games four years ago, was off the blocks fastest and encountered virtually no competition to cross the finish line in 10.14 seconds, the best time recorded across four heats.

The Japanese duo of Ryota Yamagata and Kei Takase clocked the second fastest time of 10.21secs, while China’s Zhang Piemeng was third in 10.27, making Ogunode the clear favourite to run away with the title of the fastest man on Asia when the final is held today.

Before that, however, Ogunode would have to negotiate the semi-finals where he will be challenged by Takase and Piemeng, considered among the rising stars of the continent.

“I am happy to have clocked the best time in all heats today. It certainly gives me a big dose of confidence ahead of the semi-finals,” the 23-year-old said.

“To become the fastest man at the Asian Games will be a dream come true for me and I will try my best to achieve that for Qatar,”Ogunode added.

Qatar’s Samuel Francis had earlier won the second heat to also qualify for the semi-finals in 10.33secs, but appeared to be in some pain over the final few metres. The momentum of a fast start, which allowed him to take a sizeable lead before the first 60 metres, eventually carried him over the line first but a limp and a grimace pointed to a possible muscle problem.

Francis, of course, is the holder of the Asian record after becoming the first man in the continent to run the 100m under 10 seconds. That feat was not, however, achieved at any Asian Games but at the Asian Athletics Championships in Amman in 2007.

There was a time when Qatar’s Talal Mansour ruled the sprints in Asia. With three successive gold medals at the Asian Games – in Seoul (1986), Beijing (1990) and Hiroshima (1994) – Mansour became a household name in the country and its first international sporting hero.

But after his retirement, it has been mainly Qatar’s distance runners who have been in the international spotlight before the emergence of Francis and Ogunode put the sprints back in focus.

In the 400m, Qatar’s Mohamed Abbas finished fifth in his heat in a time of 47.64secs. Ogunode, who was supposed to launch his defence of the 400m gold won in Guangzhou, opted not to participate in the event.