Tajikistan’s Rio Olympics champion Dilshod Nazarov is recognized as the best track and field athlete of the Asian continent.
The Asian Athletics Association President Dahlan Jumaan al-Hamad has handed over the certificate to Dilshod Nazarov recognizing him as the best track and field athlete of Asia.
The ceremony took place in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar on July 4 ahead of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships that are being staged in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, from July 6 to 9, 2017.
Meanwhile, a report posted on the Asian Athletics Association’s website says Olympic champion Dilshod Nazarov is ready to shake the throwing arena. Dilshod Nazarov is reportedly the top in the hammer throwing business and incidentally the top draw among all participants who are going to assemble in the Kalinga Stadium from the entire Asian continent on July 6 onwards.
Having achieved a remarkable ‘hat-trick’ in the Asian Games of 2006, 2010 and 2014, Nazarov will try to emulate similar act in the Asian championships at Bhubaneswar.
Dilshod already had three gold medals in the biennial Asian meet through 2015, 2013 and 2009. Having missed the 2011 edition at Kobe the ‘ball and chain’ specialist from the Central Asian republic also collected two silver and a bronze medal from the earlier editions of the continental championships.
Iran’s Reza Mohghaddam and Korean Lee Yun-Chul with identical personal bests of 73.50m registered this season will fight each other for the silver position.
China’s Incheon Asiad silver medalist Wang Shizhu (72.20) and Ryota Kashimura of Japan (71.36) may throw a surprise in between.
China fields the top two from Wuhan – Liu Tingting and Luo Na – to repeat their success in Bhubaneswar in hammer throw. Japan’s Akane Watanabe (65.21m), the bronze medalist at the last edition held in 2015, coming here to complete the entire Wuhan podium presence at Kalinga Stadium.
India’s Sarita Singh, who recently set a national record 65.25m to win the Federation Cup at Patiala, tackle the trio to add a medal for the hosts.
More than 650 athletes from across the Asian continent are contesting in 42 track and field events in the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships. The champions from the Bhubaneswar meet will have an automatic entry in to the World championships to be staged in London this August. As much as 13 defending champions from the last edition held at Wuhan, two years ago, are looking to defend their title in the coming days.
