AFI Media

Thiruvannamalai, April 28: Laxita Vinod Sandilea (Gujarat) ran an impressive 1500m to secure a victory with a personal best time on the opening evening of the three-day AFI National Junior U20 Athletics Championships here today. Delhi’s Ruhi Bohra used the Gujarat girl’s pace to lower her personal best and join her as qualifiers for the Asian U20 Championships in June.

Laxita Vinod Sandilea’s previous best was 4:27.38 when she won silver medal in the Gymnasiade in Caen, France, on May 20 last year. The Business Administation student had clocked 4:45.71 in winning the bronze medal in the Khelo India Youth Games in Bhopal on February 3 this year, showing was aiming to peak in June at the Asian U20 Championships in Yecheon, South Korea.

Antima Pal (Uttar Pradesh) ran her maiden sub-17 minute 5000m race to book her place in the Indian squad. She improved her previous best from 17:07.25 to 16:47.59 today. Bushra Khan (Madhya Pradesh) ensured that he decision to move up from 1500m to 5000m paid her dividends as she also secured the qualifying standard. 

Siddharth Choudhary won the men’s Shot Put (6kg) with a personal best of 19.11m, improving on the 17.04m mark he obtained in the U20 Federation Cup in Nadiad in June last year.  He got the qualification for the Asian Championships with his first attempt over 18.21m, endured two fouls and a long wait before uncorking his best effort on his final try. Jaidev Dikka (Delhi) nailed his qualification with his last try, going past the qualifying standard of 18.10m with an 18.20m Put.

Sujit Tikode (Maharashtra), Shivaji Parashu Madappagoudra (Karnataka) and Naresh Chopra (Rajasthan) claimed podium places in the men’s 5000m while Sagar (Haryana) became the fourth runner to come home inside the qualifying standard of 14:45.00 to kickstart the busy opening day’s proceedings which saw 10 athletes attain the qualifying marks. 

The results (finals): 

Men

5000m: 1.  Sujit Tikode (Maharashtra) 14:42.49; 2. Shivaji Parashu Madappagoudra (Karnataka) 14:32.79; 3. Naresh Chopra (Rajasthan) 14:33.13.

Shot Put: 1. Siddharth Choudhary (Rajasthan) 19.11m; 2. Jaidev Dikka (Delhi) 18.20; 3. Devendra Kumar Pandey (Uttar Pradesh) 17.30.

Women

1500m: 1. Laxita Vinod Sandilea (Gujarat) 4:26.48; 2. Ruhi Bohra (Delhi) 4:27.26; 3. Huidrom Bhumeshwari Devi (Manipur) 4:30.28.

5000m: 1. Antima Pal (Uttar Pradesh) 16:47.59; 2. Bushra Khan Gauri (Madhya Pradesh) 16:59.05; 3. Sonam Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 17:33.22.

Pole Vault: 1. Nikita Anup Akare (Madhya Pradesh) 3.50m; 2. A Deepika (Tamil Nadu) 3.40; 3. Bhavya Jain (Madhya Pradesh) 3.20.