Impressive: Odisha’s Pratik Maharana clocked his personal best (21.28) while claiming the win.
| Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
Local favourite Pratik Maharana defied a sore back to script a new meet record while securing the under-18 men’s 200m gold medal on the concluding day of the National junior athletics championships at the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.
Running in good rhythm, Maharana held on to his lead confidently as he lowered his personal best from 21.41, clocked at the South Asian junior meet in Chennai in September, to 21.28 to record an impressive victory.
“I did light training to balance my rehab and preparation for this competition. I was aiming for the National record (21.08), but had to settle for the meet record,” said 17-year-old Maharana, training at Rourkela.
Sumit Rathee (8:45.75) won by a margin of more than 11 seconds while leading a pack of four runners, who smashed the meet record in under-20 men’s 3000m steeplechase.
Haryana’s Sumit Rathee (No. 706) won the gold in the men’s U-20 3000m steeplechase final.
| Photo Credit:
BISWARANJAN ROUT
National record holder Deepika (52.45m) rewrote the meet record with her second throw as she claimed the under-20 women’s javelin title.
Sakshi Chavan, who took the under-20 100m gold, switched to under-18 200m to pick up her second gold with a meet record (24.14).
Homeboy Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram – who added the under-20 200m crown to his 100m title – and Prachi Devkar, making her National debut in the 3000m steeplechase after winning the 5000m yellow metal, also snatched their second gold medals.
Haryana took the team championships in both men and women.
The results: Winners only:
Under-20: Men: 200m: Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram (Odi) 21.27, 800m: Bejoy K. (Ker) 1:50.84; 400m hurdles: Arjun Pradeep (Ker) 51.75; 3000m steeplechase: Sumit Rathee (Har) 8:45.75 (NMR, Old, 9:00.66, Gaurav Yadav, 2023); 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:46.01; Triple jump: Mohammed Muhassin (Ker) 15.78m; Javelin: Rohan Yadav (UP) 69.73m.
Women: 200m: Sakshi Chavan (Guj) 24.14 (NMR, Old, 24.24, Jisna Mathew, 2017); 800m: Laxmipriya Kisan (Odi) 2:14.44; 400m hurdles: Sreevarthani S.K. (TN) 1:00.61; 3000m steeplechase: Prachi Devkar (Mah) 10:41.07; 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:13.53; Triple jump: Rishika Awasthi (UP) 12.37m; Javelin: Deepika (Har) 52.46 (NMR, Old, 49.05, Pushpa Jakhar, 2016).
Deepika from Haryana in action during the U-20 javelin throw final.
| Photo Credit:
BISWARANJAN ROUT
Under-18: Men: 200m: Pratik Maharana (Odi) 21.28 (NMR, Old, 21.34, Shanmuga Srinivas, 2019); Shot put: Ommkar Prasad Nanda (Odi) 19.96m; Women: 200m: Nipam (UP) 24.74.
Best athletes: U-20: Men: Jay Kumar (400m), Women: Sakshi Chavan (200m); U-18: Men: Kiran K. (110m hurdles), Women: Abinaya Rajarajan (100m); U-16: Boys: Dhairya Bhanderi (javelin), Girls: Shourya Ambure (60m); U-14: Boys: Bhiky Barman (javelin), Girls: Minakshi (javelin).
Published – December 11, 2024 07:35 pm IST