Javelin thrower Annu enters second straight finals

Oregon (USA): India's Annu Rani qualified for the javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the first Indian woman to qualify for the second straight javelin throw final in World Championships.

Annu Rani, who had also reached the final Doha edition in 2019 and eventually finished eighth, qualified for the final with a throw of 59.60 metres. She was placed eighth among 12 competitors that have qualified for the final to be held on Friday.

Competing in Group B, Annu started with a foul and then came up with a throw of 55.35m and 59.60m in her third attempt to finish fifth in her group. Only three competitors -- Haruka Kitaguchi (64.32m) of Japan, Tokyo Olympics winner Shiying Liu (63.86m) of China and Levita Jasiunaite (63.80) of Lithuania -- achieved the qualifying standard of 62.50m and will start as the favourites for the medals.

The qualifying cut was set at 62.50m or the 12 best performers. Annu thus was placed 8th among 29 competitors that participated in the competition.

Defending champion Kelsey-Lee Barber of Australia, a Tokyo 2020 bronze winner and two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, was fifth with a 61.27m effort.

Three-time worlds medallist L� Huihui of China (57.59m), Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Maria Andrejczyk of Poland (55.47m), Commonwealth Games champion Kathryn Mitchell of Australia (53.09m) and Rio Olympic champion Sara Kolak of Croatia (foul) did not make the cut.

Meanwhile, India's Parul Chaudhary failed to qualify for the final of the women's 5000m as she could only manage the timing of 15:54.03. She finished 17th among 19 participants in Heat 2 whereas the top five qualified for the final.

Parul Chaudhary's personal best in the 5000m is 15:36.03, achieved at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019. The women's 5000m national record is held by Preeja Sreedharan, who clocked 15:15.89 at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, who won the gold 'edal in the women's 10000m at Oregon earlier, topped the heats with 14:52.27.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia and Tokyo 2020 champion Sifan Hassan of Netherlands also made the cut. Margaret Kipkemboi of Kenya, silver medallist at Doha 2019 and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, will also run in the final.