Latest news with #IndianOpenAthletics
Time of India
7 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Animesh qualifies as second fastest for 200m final
Animesh Kujur qualified as the second fastest athlete for the 200m final of the Asian Athletics Championships to be held on the last day of the competition on Saturday and is looking in good shape to finish on the podium. The 200m national record holder crossed the finish line in 20.81 seconds in the second semifinal behind Japan's Towa Uzawa, who came first with a timing of 20.67 seconds. Uzawa had competed in 200m at the Paris Olympics last year and is the defending champion here having won the gold with a time of 20.23 seconds. He also has a season best of 20.13 seconds and will be the man to beat on Saturday. As for Kujur, his timing in the semifinals wasn't near his PB and NR of 20.40 seconds — achieved during the Federation Cup in Kochi early this year — but one needs to understand that he took his foot off the gas during the last part of the race and still came second quite comfortably. This was after he also finished second in the opening heats with a timing of 20.98 seconds. Speaking of his runs on Friday, Martin Owens, his coach at Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre (HPC) at Kalinga Stadium, sounded impressed with the way he managed the two races. "The first round was just about getting through, and I just told him to qualify, all you have to do is be in the first three. We just get through being a competitor. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo When that guy cruised past him, he wanted to respond. And then a little sound in his head said, 'Ease off. You don't have to work so hard on this one'," Owens told TOI. "But championship racing is about getting faster through the rounds, so hopefully we'll get a faster run in the final. In the semis though, he worked the bend fairly hard, switched off 50 metres out. (He) looked better when he switched off than when he was working. But that's just Animesh looking forward to the final." Taking into account the two races on Friday, it was his ninth sub-21 seconds run in the year so far. Only during the final of the Indian Open Athletics meeting in Chennai did he have a timing of 21.14 seconds and coach Martins is certain that his pupil will not let him down on the day. "It's his first major international championships. So whatever he does, he's done himself proud to get to the final and work on. I'm sure he'll do his best. He always does his best. Never lets us down," the coach added. The coach, however, isn't thinking about whether Kujur will break any records or not. He just wants him "to step off that track with no regrets".
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Tribal athlete aims to compete with javelin idol
Vadodara: Four years ago, Olympian inspired him to pick up the javelin and train himself. Bharat Rathwa , a tribal athlete from Gujarat, got professional training in javelin throwing and is now preparing to compete with his idol Chopra and other athletes at the World Athletics Championships . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "It would be a dream come true if I get to stand next to Chopra and compete in the world championships. It was because of him that I got into javelin throwing, but I haven't met him yet. I am undergoing training to participate in the Indian Open Athletics meet in Bengaluru in June. If I perform very well, I will qualify for the world championship to be held in Japan in Sept," Rathwa, who is from Chhota Udepur, told TOI. Rathwa said he is training hard at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala. "I have been coached by Samarjeet Malhi at the NIS grounds for the last three months. He is working on my javelin throwing technique," Rathwa added. The 24-year-old recalled how he won several javelin contests in his school days in the tribal town of Chhota Udepur, but gave up the sport as he felt that it didn't have much scope. When Chopra won gold in the Olympics in 2021, Rathwa's eyes lit up. "I thought if Chopra can do it, so can I. I began practising in August 2021 and won a bronze medal in the inter-district open athletics championships in Gujarat in two months," Rathwa said. He then went on to win silver in the state-level athletics championship in Rajkot and a gold medal in the national athletics championship in Morbi in 2022. Rathwa practised javelin throwing after watching videos of various throwers, including Chopra, as he wasn't comfortable practising in public view at a ground in Delhi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He went on to win a gold at the Youth Games Indo-Nepal International Series in 2022. His personal best is a 78m throw. Having lost his parents at the age of 12, Rathwa and his sister had to fend for themselves and rely on their small piece of ancestral agricultural land. He dropped out of school after failing the HSC examination. "I work at an eatery in Patiala to fund my coaching fees and living expenses. My family members also chip in occasionally. I have been promised that if I do well in the national meet, the govt will take care of my expenses. I am determined to do my best," Rathwa added.
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Athletics Federation Cup: National record for Dev Meena; Rupal, Jyothi shine
CHENNAI: Pole vaulter Dev Meena from Madhya Pradesh climbed new heights at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition here on Tuesday. Clinching the gold after easing past 5.35m, Meena has re-written his own national record of 5.30 set in Dehradun in February this year. However, despite creating a national record, Meena was disappointed for not attaining the Asian Championships qualifying norm, missing it by just 0.16m set by the Athletics Federation of India. 'I am slightly disappointed that I couldn't make the cut for the championship. But beyond that, I was concerned of a potential injury if I pushed forth and stopped here as my coach suggested,' Meena told reporters. Day 2 was also a showdown for quartermilers in both women and men's categories. Rupal Chaudhary of Uttar Pradesh and Vishal T K of Tamil Nadu bagged gold. Rupal clocked 52.55s, while Vishal 46.19s. There was a slight drizzle when the six of the eight finalists in women's 400m breached the 53.80 mark set for Asian meet qualification. Just like her gold in Indian Open last month, Rupal with her quick strides, took the lead from Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu who led in the initial 200m. Kerala's Sneha K, finished third. In 400m men's Jay Kumar of Delhi clinched silver and Manu TS of Kerala settled for bronze. National record holder Mohammad Anas Yahiya, who finished first in heats 1 on Monday withdrew before the semi finals of the competition and Amoj Jacob, former Asian champion who was also a favourite did not start in the finals. Amoj pulled out during the final stretch at the Indian Open Athletics held in Chennai last week, while Mohammad Anas did not start in the final. In 110m hurdles men, 2023 champion and national record holder Tejas Shirse of Maharashtra finished first with a timing of 13.65s, while in women's 100m hurdles, national record holder Jyothi Yarraji won gold and secured her spot in the Asian championship touching the finish line at 13.23s. In an intense and long competition, David P of Tamil Nadu won gold in men's long jump pushing defending champion and national record holder Jeswin Aldrin to second spot. The 23-year-old from Salem is making a comeback after a long injury break. In his second competition, David hit the 7.94m in his fourth attempt. 'I thought I would qualify and also break the meet record in this competition but I couldn't as two of my best jumps over 8 meters were fouls. I will try again in the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram on May 8,' he said. 'Last year was full of injuries and I even had a semi-tendon injury this January, the comeback was only possible because of intense support from my coach Keerthy Thiwari,' he added. In women's discus throw, Seema, representing JSW won the gold and qualified for the Asian championship and Nirbhay Singh of Haryana won the gold in men's. Sarvesh Anil Kushare of Maharashtra won the gold in men's high jump, jumping 58.13m. In men's Long Jump, David P of Tamil Nadu won the gold, leaving national record holder Jeswin Aldin in second place. In women's heptathlon, Agasara Nandini of Telangana won the gold with 5813 points. Results: Men: 400m (Asian Q time 45.36s): Vishal TK (TN) 46.19s, Jay Kumar (Del) 46.33s, Manu TS (Ker) 46.39s; pole vault (Asian Q 5.51m): Dev Meena (MP) 5.35m (NR), M Gowtham (TN) 5.15m, Reegan G (TN) 5.10m; Discus (Asian Q 59.63m): Nirbhay Singh (Har) 58.13m, Abhimanyu (JSW) 55.11m, Bhartpreet Singh (Rel) 53.79m; high jump (Asian Q 2.23m): Sarvesh Kushare (Mah) 2.26m, Swadhin Kr Majhi (Odi) 2.14m, Bharath Raj B (Ker) 2.14m; long jump (Asian Q 8.07m): David P (TN) 7:94m, Jeswin Aldrin (Rel) 7.83m, Muhammed Anees (Rel) 7.70m; 110m hurdles (Asian Q 13.56s): Tejas Shirse (Mah) 13.65s, Manav R (Railways) 13.94s, Muhammed Lazan VK (JSW) 14.17s. Women: 400m (Asian Q 53.80s): Rupal Chaudhary (UP) 52.55s, Vithya Ramraj (TN) 52.81s, Sneha K (Ker) 53.00s; 100m hurdles (Asian Q 13.26s) Jyothi Yarraji (Rel) 13.23s, Pragyan Prasanti (Odi) 13.40s, Nithya Ramraj (TN) 13.42s; Discus (Asian Q 54.19m): Seema (JSW) 57.17m, Bhavana Yadav (Del) 52.15m, Priya (Har) 51.36m; Heptathlon: Agasara Nandini (Tel) 5813 points, Pooja (Har) 5401 points, Moumita Mondal (Rel) 5373 points.
