MANILA, Sept 20: Versatile Chinese distance runner Sun Yingjie destroyed the field to win the women’s 10,000 meters event at the Asian athletics championships on Saturday, and warned her good friend and compatriot Wang Junxia’s world record will fall next.

Fresh from a bronze medal finish at the Paris world championships last month, the 24 year-old Beijing native blew the race apart at the 2,000m mark, lapping the eventual second-place finisher with 2,800m to go en route to a 32min 37.04sec result.

“My time here was not that good because of the poor quality of the opposition,” said the petite runner, who also runs the marathon and the 5,000m discipline, as well as being a threat in the 20km walk.

Her personal best time of 30:07 is some way off Wang’s world record of 29:31.78, set in Beijing on September 8, 1993.

But Sun, who said she did not have a secret turtle soup diet that Wang claimed helped her set the record, warned that she has yet to reach her best form.

“I want to break it,” Sun said of the record. “Maybe in a year’s time.”

Sun will go for her second gold in the 5,000m final Monday.

Sun’s win capped a four-gold haul for China on the first day of the competition here, leaving the other countries to fight for the minor placings.

Sri Lanka’s barefoot runner Sujeewa Nilmini Jayasena settled for the silver in 34:46.99, while Aruna Devi of India won the bronze in 37:23.28.

Record-breaking Huang Qiuyan began the rout by winning the women’s triple jump crown.

Her 14.39m effort erased the five year-old Asian championship record of 14.11m set by compatriot Ren Ruiping, as well improving on Huang’s Busan Asian Games standard of 14.28m.

Still, it fell short of Huang’s personal best of 14.72m, which is the standing Asian record.

“I did okay, but I would have been happier if I broke the Asian record,” she told AFP.

Anastasiya Juravleva of Uzbekistan won the silver with 14.21m, while a second Chinese, Zhang Hao, salvaged the bronze with 13.63m.

Li Meiju pocketed the women’s shot put gold with a best throw of 18.45m, edging out compatriot Li Fengfeng whose 18.07m was good for second place.

Chinatsu Mori put Japan on the board with 17.80m to win the bronze.

The Chinese men won their first gold when Wu Tao ruled the discus throw with a heave of 61.43m.

Iran’s Abbas Samimi captured the silver with 59.51m, while Anil Kumar settled for the bronze for India with 59.50m.

Results

Triple jump Women

Final

1. Huang Quiyan (Chn) 14.39m

2. Anastasiya Juravleva (Uzb) 14.21

3. Zhang Hao (Chn) (Chn) 13.63

Shot put Women

Final

1. Li Meiju (Chn) 18.45m

2. Li Fengfeng (Chn) 18.07

3. Chinatsu Mori (Jpn) 17.80

Discus throw Men

Final

1. Wu Tao (Chn) 61.43m

2. Abbas Samimi (Irn) 59.51

3. Anil Kumar (Ind) 59.50.—AFP