Athletes Shine at National Inter-State Championships with Asian Games Qualifications

Sprinters Share Insights on Relay Performance

Unnathi Aiyappa and Amiya Kumar Mallick, both sprinters, expressed their views on their relay performances following the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships. During this event, 13 athletes achieved the qualification standards for the Asian Games, with six male triple jumpers also securing their spots on the third day of the competition.

Unnathi Aiyappa, who specializes in the 100m and 200m sprints and represents Karnataka, reflected on her experience in the women's 4x100m relay. She emphasized the significance of effective baton exchanges, stating, "As a 100m and 200m sprinter from Karnataka, I felt confident in our relay team. We had limited time for warm-ups and practiced a few baton exchanges. I have qualified for the Asian Games in the 200 meters and aim to win a medal there."

Praise for Odisha's Relay Team

Amiya Kumar Mallick, an experienced sprinter, commended the Odisha 4x100m relay team for their performance while acknowledging areas for improvement. He noted, "Odisha's 4x100m relay team excelled at the national level in 2022. Although there were minor baton exchange issues, we are thrilled to have won gold at home. We appreciate the support from the Odisha State Government's Sports Department and the Athletics Federation of India. While we aimed for a specific timing, consistency will lead to better results. Currently, the national team has yet to qualify for the Asian Games."

Asian Games Qualification Achievements

On the third day of the championships at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium, six male triple jumpers were among 13 athletes who met the qualification standards for the Asian Games. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee will finalize the contingent after the event concludes, with two athletes representing each track and field event.

Field Events Success

In the evening session, hammer throwers kicked off the competition. Damneet Singh from Punjab won gold with a throw of 69.72m, surpassing the Asian Games qualification mark of 69.12m. Praveen Kumar from Rajasthan also qualified with a silver-winning throw of 69.58m.

Following the hammer throw, the discus throw saw three athletes from Haryana—Seema, Sanya Yadav, and Nidhi—achieve distances exceeding the Asian Games qualification mark of 55.48m.

In the men's triple jump, the top six jumpers all met the Asian Games qualification mark of 16.28m, with Praveen Chithravel taking gold with an impressive jump of 16.92m. In the track events, national record holder Tejas Shrise won the men's 110m hurdles comfortably.

Track Event Highlights

Tejas Shrise's winning time of 13.61 seconds was below the Asian Games qualification time of 13.63 seconds set for Aichi-Nagoya.

In the women's 400m hurdles heats, Vithya Ramraj from Tamil Nadu clocked 56.69 seconds, keeping her hopes alive for an Asian Games spot.