HYDERABAD (India), Oct 28: Africans monopolized medals in the distance events while Asians were too good in the field in an Afro-Asian Games athletics opener that was more predictable than spectacular.

The dual-meet format was designed to pit the best four athletes from both continents against each other in head-to-head finals. And while Africa boasts a glut of world champions, only one made the trip to the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.

Kazakstan collected gold medals Tuesday in the men’s 400-meter hurdles and pole vault and the women’s high jump, while Chinese athletes won the women’s triple jump and hammer throw.

Ethiopia got gold and silver doubles in the men’s 5,000 and the women’s 1,500.

Hailu Mekonne surged from third place on the final bend to overhaul compatriot Markos Geneti in the last 50 meters to win the 5,000 in 13 minutes, 49.08 seconds. Geneti took silver in 13:49.61 and Denis Keter of Kenya was third.

Ethiopian pair Berhane Hirpassa and Kutre Deluche pulled clear with two laps remaining in the 1,500 and finished 25 meters ahead of third-place Sunita Rani of India, the controversial Asian Games champion.

The 20-year-old Hirpassa won in 4:17.36, upstaging Duluche (4:18.14), who was ranked 13 places above her at 19th in the IAAF standings.

Rani tested positive for nandrolone after winning at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, but was later cleared by a medical commission and had her gold medal restored.

Kenya’s Ezra Sambu won the 400 meters in 45.05 seconds, ahead of Ali Din Nagm of Sudan and Sugathra Thilakaratne of Sri Lanka.

In the women’s one-lap race, South Africa’s Estie Wittsock won in 52.09 seconds from Nigeria’s Doris Jacob at 53.08. Thailand’s Wasan Winatho was third in 53.88.

The top-ranked African, Fatou Bintou Fall of Senegal, withdrew before the race.

China picked up two athletics gold medals to remain atop the overall standings

Liu Yinghui led a Chinese 1-2 in the women’s hammer, with a best throw of 68.03 meters on her last attempt.

Zhad Wei took silver at 65.22 and Egypt’s Amhmed Marwa Hussain was third at 60.60.

Huang Qiuan won the women’s triple jump at 13.50 meters, 16 centimeters clear of second place Tatyana Bocharova of Kazakstan.

The Kazaks faired better in the high jump, with Marina Aitova winning on a countback from India’s Bobby Aloysius after both cleared 1.88 meters.

Yegvengiy Meleshenko won the 400 hurdles in a personal best 49.66 seconds.

Starting in Lane 3, Meleshenko overhauled the two runners outside him over the first two hurdles and strode into a winning position coming into the straight, when he took the lead from Faye Ibou of Senegal. Faye was second in 50.08 and Nigeria’s Osiat Okagu was third.

Asian champion Grigoriy Yegorov needed only three attempts to win the pole vault. He opened at 5.05 meters and then had one failure at 5.25 before winning at that height.

Karim Sene of Senegal was second at 5.05.

South African Senette Vijoen won the women’s javelin at 55.49 meters, more than two meters clear of India’s Kaur Gurmeet.

One of the biggest drawcards of the meet was expected to be in action Wednesday, with Namibia’s veteran sprinter Frank Fredericks, a three-time Olympic silver medalist, listed to line up in the 200.

Fredericks, who placed second to Michael Johnson in the 200 at the Atlanta Olympics and still holds he second best time for the event, was He was also scheduled to compete in the 100 and 4x100 relay.

Tirunesh Dibaba, the women’s 5,000-meters world champion, was due to compete on Thursday.—APP/AP