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Bhubaneswar

India’s 2018 Jakarta Asian Games champion in men’s shot put Tajinderpal Singh Toor hogged the limelight on the final day of the 62^nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship here on Monday as he erased the Asian record. He was declared best male athlete and was successful in qualifying for the Budapest World Athletics Championship. Jyothi Yarraji emerged female athlete of the meet.

The Punjab’s international shot putter recorded 21.77m throw in his third attempt to improve his Asian mark of 21.49m he set in 2021.

On his way to winning gold at 2018 Jakarta Asian Games his best throw was 20.75m, a games record.

. “My training had gone as per planned and I was prepared to go past the 21m barrier,” elated thrower said after etching his name in record books on Monday. “My next plan is to break the 22m barrier.”

Tajinderpal Singh Toor began his record- breaking campaign with an opening throw of 21.09m. His second attempt was no mark, while he hurled the iron ball to 21.77m in his third throw. The Asian Games qualification mark in men’s shot put was 19m, while the Budapest World Athletics Championship qualification mark was 21.40m.

Punjab’s Karanveer Singh won silver with a throw of 19.78m, while Delhi’s Sahib Singh won bronze with a distance of 18.75m.

Away from the throwing arena, Delhi’s promising middle distance runner KM Chanda outdueled more fancied runner Harmilan Bains to win women’s 800m race.

In an exciting sprint finish, the top three runners achieved the Hangzhou Asian Games qualification time of 2:04.57 seconds. However, it was Chanda who stole the limelight winning gold with a time of 2:03.82 seconds. Silver went to Harmilan (2:04.04 secs), while Madhya Pradesh’s KM Deeksha won bronze with a time of 2:04.35 secs.

Chanda in the post-race interaction said she did homework to win the race today. “My race strategy was to surge ahead at the bell and push hard until the finish line,” Chanda said. “I’m happy to have executed my plans in the race today.”

Chanda had also won bronze in the women’s 1500m.

There was an intense battle for gold in the women’s 400m hurdles. In the rush for the first position both R Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu and Sinchal Kaveramma TR from Karnataka, winner of gold and silver, respectively, dipped below the Asian Games qualification time of 57.48 secs.

Vithya was extremely happy with her gold winning time of 56.01 seconds. “My next target is to break the 56 seconds barrier,” she added.

India’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in women’s javelin throw Annu Rani also booked a berth for the 2023 Asian Games. Her gold medal winning throw of 58.22m was better than the Asian Games qualification mark of 56.46m).

It was Annu’s second domestic competition of this season and she was hopeful of improving her performance in the next event. “I should be able to cross the 60m mark at next month’s Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok,” the international thrower said.

The contest for gold medal in women’s long jump was between Kerala’s Ancy Sojan and Uttar Pradesh promising athlete Shaili Singh. Both pushed each other, but it was Ancy, who claimed gold with a jump of 6.51m, while Shaili’s best jump of the day was 6.49m. Both Ancy and Shaili booked berths for the Asian Games.

KM Rachna and Tanya Chaudhary, winner of gold and silver medal in women’s hammer throw, respectively, were also successful in winning Asian Games tickets.

Haryana’s teenage jumper Pooja scaled 1.80m to win gold in the women’s high jump and equal the Asian Games mark of 1.80m.

Assam’s Amlan Borgohain sprinted home to win gold in the men’s 200m. His performance of 20.71 seconds was better than the 23 years old meet record of 20.80 secs, but he fell short of Asian Games qualification time of 20.61 secs.

Rohit Yadav of Uttar Pradesh won men’s javelin throw gold, while Sreeshankar Murali won men’s long jump gold.

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Bhubaneswar

Kerala’s Commonwealth Games medalist in men’s long jump Sreeshankar Murali stole the show on the penultimate day of the 62^nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship here on Sunday.

In his opening preliminary round jump Kerala’s 24 years international athlete recorded 8.41m jump to better Budapest World Athletics Championship and Hangzhou Asian Games qualification marks. He also improved his own meet record of 8.23m.

Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga stadium has been lucky for Sreeshankar. He first broke the 8m barrier at the same venue in 2018. His father-cum-coach S Murali was hopeful his son would further improve the mark in the medal round on Monday. “He could do better in the final,” Sreeshankar’s father said.

While the World Championship qualification mark was 8.25m, the Athletics Federation of India qualification criteria set for Asian Games was 7.95m.

Tamil Nadu’s Jeswin Aldrin Tamil, another leading jumper this season, best jump in qualification was 7.83m. Jeswin’s personal best recorded earlier in March was 8.42m.

Muhammed Anees Yahiya of Kerala (7.71m) is also among 12 athletes in the final. The men’s long jump final is expected to be a major attraction on Monday.

The women’s long jump qualification round was also the main attraction in the morning session today. The leading jumper—Ancy Sojan (6.49m) achieved the Asian Games qualification mark of 6.45m. The final is scheduled for Monday. Nayana James (6.31m) and Shaili Singh (6.27m) were the other two leading jumpers in the field.

Away from the jumping arena, the men javelin throw qualification round saw good performance by Odisha’s Kishore Kumar Jena. His best throw of 79.96m was better than the Asian Games qualification mark of 78.23m.

Shivpal Singh (79.35m) and Anuj Kalera (79.04m) were other two throwers whose preliminary round performance was inside the Asian Games qualification round.

Rohit Yadav (76.32m) and Manu DP (76.21m), the two main contenders for the podium were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the qualification round and advanced to the final.

The men’s 1500m opening heat saw fourrunners including Ajay Kumar Saroj (3:44.13 secs), Yoonus Shah (3:44.22 secs) and Sachelal Patel (3:44.33 secs) dip inside the Asian Games qualification time of 3:47.84 seconds.

Olympian and national record holder Jinson Johnson clocked 3:48.83 secs in third heat to advance to the final.

The women’s 800m final is expected to be keenly contested. It was easy passage for both KM Deeksha and Harmilan Bains, considered strong medal contenders, to the final round.

KM Chanda and Lili Das were other two prominent runners to have advanced to the medal round.

Tamil Nadu’s R Vithya Ramraj also gave a good account of herself in the women’s 400m hurdles qualification round to post a time of 57.23 seconds which was better than the Asian Games qualification mark of 57.48 seconds.

It was also easy for India’s star thrower Tajinderpal Singh Toor in the men’s shot put preliminary round. Assam’s Amlan Borgohain (21.37 secs) emerged the fastest male runner in the 200m heats. Akash Kumar of Uttar Pradesh (21.48 secs) was the second fastest runner to advance to the final.

Odisha’s Srabani Nanda will be one to watch in the women’s 200m final. She clocked 24.31 secs in heats.

Bhubaneswar

Delhi’s Tejaswin Shankar claimed a grueling decathlon title to secure Asian Games berth, while 100m champion Jyothi Yarraji of Andhra Pradesh added 100m hurdles title to her kitty on the third day of the 62^nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship here on Friday. In another exciting day as many as 12 athletes achieve Asian Games berths.

West Bengal’s 2018 Asian Games champion in heptathlon Swapna Barman ensured she will defend her title at the Hangzhou Asian Games as she bettered the qualification points of 5654. She won gold with 5918 points.

Telangana’s Agasara Nandini finished second with 5703 points to win the Asian Games berth.

On her way to winning gold in the women’s 100m hurdles Andhra Pradesh’s promising hurdler Jyothi Yarraji dipped below the Asian Games qualification time of 13.63 secs. Despite clocking 12.92 seconds the champion athlete wasn’t excited. “I wanted to break the 12.90 seconds barrier. But I fumbled at the third hurdle, which spoiled my rhythm and I missed my goal today,” Jyothi said after winning second gold of the competition.

A sustained effort by Nithya R of Tamil Nadu and Agasara Nandini from Telangana gave them something to cheer as they sailed past the Asian Games qualification time of 13.63 seconds.

Nithya R finished second at 13.48 secs, while Agasara Nandini who also qualified in heptathlon was third in 13.55 secs.

At the high jumping pit duo of Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Maharashtra) and Jesse Sandesh (Karnataka) celebrated by equaling the Asian Games mark of 2.24m. However, Sarvesh Anil Kushare was the winner, while Jesse Sandesh finished second.

In the men’s triple jump event top three athletes—Praveen Chithravel, Abdulla Aboobacker and Eldhose Paul—finished in that order—cleared the Asian Games qualification mark of 16.60m. Meanwhile, Akhilesh of Karnataka badly injured his right leg during take off after the first jump and was out of competition.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee will take a final call how many athletes will represent the country in each event decide as

Results

Men

110mh (AG Q 13.57 secs): Tejas Ashok Shirse (Maharashtra) 13.87 secs, Sachin Binu (Kerala) 13.99 secs, Ronald Babu (Madhya Pradesh) 14.24 secs.

High jump (AG Q 2.24m): Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Maharashtra) 2.24m, Jesse Sandesh (Karnataka) 2.24m, Bharathi Viswanathan (Tamil Nadu) 2.17m

Triple jump (AG Q 16.60m): Praveen Chithravel (Tamil Nadu) 17.07m, Abdulla Aboobacker (Kerala) 16.88m, Eldhose Paul (Kerala) 16.75m.

Hammer throw (AG Q 71.10m) Taranveer Singh Bains (Punjab) 68.07m, Nitesh Poonia (Rajasthan) 67.10m, Damneet Singh (Punjab) 65.86m.

Decathlon (AG Q 7500 points): Tejaswin Shankar (Delhi) 7576 points, Yamandeep Sharma (Rajasthan) 7165points, Gokul Sharma (Kerala) 6937 points

Women

100mh (AG Q 13.63 secs): Jyothi Yarraji (Andhra Pradesh) 12.92 secs, Nithya R (Tamil Nadu) 13.48 secs, Agasara Nandini (Telangana) 13.55 secs.

Pole vault: Pavithra Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m,  Sindhushree G (Karnataka)3.80m, Vanshika Ghanghas (Haryana) 3.40m.

Heptathlon (AG Q 5654 points): Swapna Barman (Madhya Pradesh) 5918 points, Agasara Nandini (Telangana) 5703 points, Sowmiya Murugan (Andhra Pradesh) 5323 points.

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Bhubaneswar

Three athletes achieved the Hangzhou Asian Games qualification time in their respective events on the opening day of the 62^nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Haryana’s international sprinter Anjali Devi dipped below the Asian Games qualification time of 52.89 seconds. During the women’s 400m heats today she clocked 52.96 seconds.

While it was a big pay day for Uttar Pradesh distance runners—-Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh. On their way to podium in the men’s 10,000m, both Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh bettered the Hangzhou Asian Games qualification time of 29:30.00. Kartik’s gold medal winning time was 29:01.84 seconds, while Gulveer Singh finished a close second at 29:03.78 seconds. “My next goal is to win a medal at the Asian Games,” Kartik Kumar said in a post-race interaction.

Both Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh also improved the previous meet record of 29:06.17 clocked way back in 2007 by Olympian Surendra Singh, who is overseeing national camp in Bengaluru.

In a fast-paced race third and fourth runners—Pritam Kumar of Delhi and Harman Jot Singh of Madhya Pradesh also dipped below the Asian Games qualification time of 29:30.00.

Abhishek Pal of Uttar Pradesh, pre-race favourite, quit the race with nine laps to go due to stomach cramps. “I missed the chance to qualify for the Asian Games,” he said.

In the women’s 25-lap event Seema of Himachal Pradesh upset her more experienced rival Sanjivani Jadhav of Maharashtra. In a tactical race, Seema pushed for home in the last two rounds to cross the finish line in 34:20.01 seconds. Seema’s performance at Bhubaneswar’s eight-lane Kalinga Stadium was nearly two minutes slower than the Asian Games qualification time of 32:30.24 seconds. “I could have done better had someone pushed me in the last 2km of the 25-lap event,” Seema said in a post-race interaction.

While Sanjivani considered favourite to win gold, said it wasn’t her day. The Maharashtra’s international runner conserved her energy to push hard in the second half of the race, but she wasn’t able to execute her pre-race plans and eventually finished second. “My goal today was to qualify for the Asian Games, but I fell short of my target,” She added. Sanjivani recently clocked a personal best of 32:46 seconds in the women’s 10,000m event during Portland Track Festival and was hopeful to improve her performance in the next race.

The men 20km race walk saw Haryana seasoned athlete Sandeep Kumar take home the gold medal, while Bhawna Jat of Rajasthan added women’s 20km race walk title to her profile. Bhawna’s gold medal winning time of 1:37:03.00 was better than the previous meet record of 1:39:00 clocked by Deepmala Devi in 2006.

Results (all finals):

Men: 10,000m: Kartik Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 29:01.84 secs, Gulveer Singh (UP) 29:03.78 secs, Pritam Kumar (Delhi) 29:22.36 secs.

20km race walk: Sandeep Kumar (Haryana) 1:27:12, Servin S (Tamil Nadu) 1:28:21, Hardeep (Haryana) 1:28:57

Women: 10,000m: Seema (Himachal Pradesh) 34:20.01 secs, Sanjivani Jadhav (Maharashtra) 34:34.10 secs, Poonam Dinkar (Maharashtra) 34:45.42 secs.

20km race walk: Bhavna Jat (Rajasthan) 1:37:03.00, Priyanka Goswani (UP) 1:40:33.00, Vandana (Karnataka) 1:41:54.00.

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Bhubaneswar (Odisha)

Top Indian track and field athletes aspiring for a berth at the Budapest World Athletics Championships and Hangzhou Asian Games will have a good chance to prove themselves during the 62^nd National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships starting Thursday, says chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair.

The five-day major domestic competition will be held at Bhubaneswar’s eight-lane Kalinga Stadium.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) also plans to send a big contingent of 60 athletes to compete at the July 12 to 16 Asian Athletics Championship scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, the Radhakrishnan Nair added.

“The five-day domestic national meet in Bhubaneswar will act as a last qualification for the continental competition in Thailand,” the chief athletics coach said.

On the opening day medals in four events will be decided. However, the main focus will be the 400m heats in both men and women’s sections. “We have three male runners who are capable of racing quarter-mile below 46 seconds,” Radhakrishnan Nair added. “We are hopeful of having a strong men’s 4x400m relay team.”

The chief coach says the process of building the women’s 4x400m relay squad is on the cards.

According to Radhakrishnan Nair India’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra and steeplechase specialist Avinash Sable will not compete in the next month’s Asian Athletics Championship scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand as the main focus is world championship.

“Due to packed 2023 season both the athletes (Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable) are competing in selected events this year as the emphasis is podium finish at the August 19 to 27 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary,” Radhakrishnan Nair said, adding, after the World Athletics Championships the next goal will be Hangzhou Asian Games in September.

Avinash Sable is currently practicing in Colorado Springs in the USA, while Neeraj Chopra is based in Zurich, Switzerland to prepare for the Budapest World Athletics Championship.

Three weeks ago, India’s star javelin thrower sustained lower leg injury and pulled out of international events, including Paavo Nurmi Games scheduled for June 13.

Updating on Neeraj Chopra’s rehabilitation and recovery, chief athletics coach says he has started training but yet to recover from the injury. “He (Neeraj Chopra) started his training last week and should be in good health by the end of this month,” the chief athletics coach added.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), says the chief athletics coach could send the entry of four javelin throwers to compete at the 2023 World Athletics Championship. While Neeraj Chopra has got a wild card entry, there is a provision to send three athletes more in javelin if they achieve a qualification mark of 85.20m.

Meanwhile, all necessary arrangements have been done for the smooth conduct of the important domestic competition, says the chief athletics coach. “The Odisha government has provided all the support, including boarding and lodging to the athletes,” the chief athletics coach added.