Happy with my silver in 800 meters: Jinson

“Yes, 800m is my pet event and definitely I would have loved to win gold in it. So, in a way I am disappointed but I am happy that two Indians won gold and silver instead of other countries winning them,” said Jinson. “Moreover, I am not surprised at all that Manjit won the gold as there is no big difference in timing between him and me. In the past few years, in the National Championships, he has been my main competitor. I knew if I can win, he (Manjit) can also win,” he added.

Manjit was behind two-three runners at the final bend but ran past Jinson and others in the final stretch to win the gold. Manjit ran a personal best of 1:46.15 while Jinson clocked 1:46.35. “I felt a bit tight at the final stretch and could not preserve myself for a final burst which Manjit did. But it is all right, I am happy with my silver in the 800m.”

Asked if the 800m title loss played out in his mind while running the 1500m in which he won a gold, Jinson said, “Not exactly. At this big stage, anybody can win any race. I was not thinking particularly about Manjit but was thinking about all the other competitors, that nobody should overtake me (in 1500m),” said the 27-year-old Kerala athlete.

Jinson also downplayed the talk about his timing in 1500m bettering the 2016 Rio Olympics gold-winning timing.  He said:“Two things are there. One, this kind of races are tactical races and often timings of top athletes in big events like Olympics or World Championships may be below par. So, it is not appropriate to compare these timings.”

The sprinter said he may produce a better timing during the IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava, Czech Republic “It will be a world class field and the conditions will be good, so timings may be good,” he said.