Eric Cray crashes to 7th in Asian Games 400m hurdles

Eric Shawn Cray settled for seventh place in the 400m hurdles finals of the 2018 Asian Games athletic competitions at Gelora Bung Karko Main Stadium in Jakarta Monday night.

Cray, the oldest competitor in the 400m hurdles at 29, clocked in at 51.53 seconds in the final race, which was even slower than his 50.54 in the semifinals.

His performance was nearly four seconds slower than the gold medal winner Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba, who set a new Asian Games’ record of 47.66 and obliterated the 16-year-old mark of 48.42 set Al Somaily in the 2002 Busan games.

India’s Dharun Ayyasamy placed runner-up in the Asian 400m with a 48.96, while Japan’s Abe Takatoshi ranked third with a 49.12 clocking.

Cray, a two-time champion in the Southeast Asian Games, will try his luck again in the 4×100 with Anfernee Lopena, Clayton Bautista, and Trenten Beram on Thursday.