Asiad, CWG dreams for Lokesh Sathyanathan and Pavana Nagaraj
BHUBANESWAR: Long jumpers Lokesh Sathyanathan and young Pavana Nagaraj, who are both pursuing their graduation in the United States, took another big leap in their fledgling careers at the long jump arena at the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze meet here on Sunday as they continued their efforts to climb to the top of the podium in next year's Asian and Commonwealth Games.
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While Lokesh finished third with a best of 7.85m in men's long jump, 19-year-old Pavana managed a day's best of 5.89m that saw her settle for the seventh spot in women's long jump. Before the start of the meet, the 25-year-old Lokesh was leading the Indians in the Road To Tokyo list while Pavana had a long way to go.
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Who do you think has a better chance of success in the upcoming Asian and Commonwealth Games?
Lokesh Sathyanathan
Pavana Nagaraj
Both have equal chances
Neither of them
Of the current lot of 5-6 Indian athletes competing in Division 1 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), only Lokesh and Pavana were here to take on the seasoned campaigners.
Of the two, Lokesh, who became the first Indian to finish on the podium at the NCAA Division I track and field competition in Oregon in June, is now with a more realistic chance going into the final meet — the Inter-State championships — later this month.
For Pavana, daughter of national women's high jump record holder Sahana and former sprinter Nagaraj, it was another day where she gained valuable experience before heading back to her new college in Oklahoma University. 'I'm not putting any pressure on her with any expectations. Let her compete, learn and enjoy so that she can do well in the big meets in the coming year including the
Asian Games
and CWG,' Pavana's mother Sahana Kumari told TOI.
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Lokesh, son of Sathyanatahan who was a cab driver before starting up business, faced several emotional and physical challenges but he overcame all of them. 'If I qualify for the Worlds, I will take permission from the Federation and head back to the US to study and train. Else, I'll be focusing on next year's big meets,' said Lokesh.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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