JAKARTA, Indonesia — Filipino-American Eric Shawn Cray finished seventh in the men’s 400-meter hurdles final of the 18th Asian Games athletic competitions at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on Monday night.
The 29-year-old Cray clocked 51.53 seconds, which was slower than his time of 50.54 in the semifinal.
Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba topped the event with a new Asian Games record of 47.66 seconds. He erased the 48.42 seconds set by Saudi Arabia’s Al Somaily during the 2002 Busan Games.
The 5-foot-11 Samba holds the Asian record of 46.98 seconds, which he registered in winning the Diamond League in Paris Saint-Denis, France last June.
India’s Dharun Ayyasamy bagged the silver medal after submitting a personal best time of 48.96 seconds, while Japan’s Abe Takatoshi clocked 49.12 seconds to pocket the bronze medal.
Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chieh clocked 49.62 seconds for fourth place followed by India’s Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan (49.66), Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Koblov (50.60) while South Korea’s Han Shauwn (51.65) was eighth.
In the women’s long jump final, Marestella Torres Sunang placed ninth among 11 entries after leaping to a distance of 6.15 meters.
Vietnam’s Thiu Thu Tao Bui won the event in 6.55 meters. India’s Neena Varakil got the silver with 6.51 meters while China’s Xu Xiaoling took the bronze with 6.50 meters.
Cray, who reached the semifinal during the 2016 Rio Olympics, won the gold in the Asian Championships in India and the SEA Games in Malaysia last year.
Cray, the SEA Games gold medalist in Singapore (2015) and Myanmar (2013) will see action in the 4×100-meter relay with Trenten Beram, Anfernee Lopena and Clayton Bautista on Thursday.
Beram and fellow Fil-American Kristina Knott will compete in the 200-meter run on Wednesday, while Ernest John Obiena will compete in the men’s pole vault on Friday. (Jean Malanum/PNA)
