Latest news with #Manikanta
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
UAE GP: Animesh, relay team set new meet marks
New Delhi: India's Animesh Kujur set a meet record in 200m at the UAE Athletics Grand Prix, clocking 20.45s at the Dubai Police Stadium on Friday. Another Indian runner, Amlan Borgohain, clocked 21.08s to finish 5th overall. Animesh has been in excellent form this season and broke the national record (20.40s) at the Federation Cup recently and this run will help him garner points from the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze level meet. Later, Animesh, Gurindervir Singh, Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain clocked 38.76s in 4x100 relay to finish on top and set a new meet record. Oman came second with a timing of 39.27s. The Indian quartet recently broke the 15-year old national record with a timing of 38.69s at the Indian Open Relay meet in Chandigarh. Mohammed Afsal set a new national mark in 800m with a time of 1:45.61s. The previous record was held by Asian Games medallist Jinson Johnson (1:45.65) in 2018. Afsal finished second overall with Kenyan Nicholas Kiplagat winning the race (1:45.38s) In the men's 100m, national record holder Gurindervir clocked 10.41s while Manikanta crossed the line in 10.52s. It has been a good domestic season for Indian sprinters pushing each other in domestic meets. Gurindervir got the national record (10.20s) at the Indian GP competition bettering Manikanta's mark of 10.23 achieved last year. Manikanta's best this season is 10.22s which came in the same race. However, both were far off from Oman's Ali Al Balooshi who topped in UAE GP with 10.19s. Sri Lankan Chamod Yodhasinghe was second (10.27s) and Bahrain's Ali HAjji was third (10.30s). Gurindervir finish 8th overall and Manikanta 12th. In the men's 400m, India's Mohamed Sinan came second (46.67s) with Suleiman Abdirahman of UAE taking first place (45.66s). In the triple jump, Sawant Poorva jumped 13.09m to come third.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Is India finally on the verge of glimpsing its first sub-10-second man?
Manikanta Hoblidhar played volleyball, kabaddi and handball to a high standard at school. But once he had a taste of athletics at 17, there was no looking back. The 23-year-old is currently one of the country's fastest men, hungry to regain his 100m National record which he had surrendered to Gurindervir Singh (10.20s) by two hundredths of a second (10.22) at the Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru a few weeks ago. Manikanta clearly wants to stand out in the crowd. 'I'm the only one, the best, the strongest. My aim is to do 10.10s this year,' said Manikanta, who took the 100m bronze at the recent National Federation Athletics Championships in Kochi. He also had the championships' fastest time, having topped the semifinals with 10.25s. With six of the seven fastest men in the country's all-time 100m list currently in action, this is Indian sprinting's most exciting period. The big question That brings up the big question: Is India close to having its first sub-10s man? 'I expect that next year,' said Radhakrishnan Nair, the National Chief Coach. Martin Owens, head coach at the Reliance Foundation Odisha High Performance Centre, was more cautious. 'Sub-10 is big, it will happen. Next year might be a little bit early, but you never know, it might even this year. But never make a prediction,' said the Englishman. 'I would be surprised if the 100m National record doesn't go again this year.' And the athletes appear ready. 'We will have our first sub-10 man this year or next year. It could come by the time of this year's Open Nationals. And I feel I will be doing the 9.99s in India,' said Manikanta. Animesh Kujur, who broke the 200m National record in Kochi, fancies his sub-10 chances, too. 'It'll be me only, I'm the best,' said Owens' trainee Kujur, the sixth fastest Indian ever (10.27). 'I'm working hard for that. Whenever it is to happen, it will happen.' James Hillier, the Reliance Foundation athletics director who coaches Gurindervir and Manikanta, is impressed with the current scene. 'What you're having now is a sort of cluster effect, with the boys pushing each other and I think the biggest thing is the mindset. The mindset is slowly changing,' he said. 'When I first came to India, 10.5s would win the Nationals. And when someone ran 10.4, everyone would go crazy. People are starting to run 10.2 and it's becoming more normal now, 10.3 is normal too, but 10.4 is not even considered that fast anymore.' Hillier believes things will move step by step. 'I think you'll see multiple athletes comfortably running sub-10.20. I expected Manikanta to run at least 10.15 in Kochi. He has been running times in training that signal to me that he can run faster than 10.1… 10.0-something. If the track was faster, if the warm-up area and conditions were better, he would have clocked 10.10. For me, 10.25 was disappointing. 'I would be mortified and disappointed if these guys, all three [Gurindervir, Manikanta, Kujur], don't run 10.1-something this year. And they will probably pull Pranav Gurav [Federation Nationals 100m champion with 10.27s] to those times as well. You could have four guys under 10.10. And don't discount Amlan [Borgohain] either… he's flying in training.' Stronger together Hillier feels the sprinters now need to move ahead together. 'For me, the second guy is the important one. The first guy breaks the time, that's great but then you need the second guy to run the time. As soon as Gurindervir broke Mani's record, Mani said to me, 'Coach, he's going to borrow that record for three weeks, I'm going to take it back in the Federation Nationals'. 'And Animesh wasn't in that Bengaluru race. So, when they broke that record, suddenly Animesh got excited… and he broke the 200m record [in Kochi]. 'They motivate each other. They all want to be the top dog…so the minute someone does that time, they are like, 'If you can do it, I can do it faster'.' Every sprinter in the group is unique. 'I don't know much about Pranav Gurav but he's got a good head on him, he's a good competitor. Gurindervir is a very powerful guy, he's got a very good start, I'm just working on some postural things, he doesn't hold his posture as well as I want, so once he fixes that, he's going to run a lot faster,' said Hillier. 'Animesh is not a very good starter but a very good finisher. He's a 200m specialist but obviously he can run a good 100. Amlan is very experienced but Manikanta is the one with the leg speed, it's phenomenal. He's the guy with the real speed.' Who is likely to hit sub-10 first? 'It's difficult to say that. I wouldn't want to do that because I coach most of them…I'd be happy if anyone did that, even if it is someone I don't coach. For me, it's about the event moving forward,' said Hillier. 'I want to see people who say that Indians can't sprint eat their words because I believe Indians can sprint.' While the sprinters have been raising the bar, there is much disappointment that the Athletics Federation of India did not include Manikanta in the 100m for this month-end's Asian Championships in South Korea despite the sprinter achieving the AFI's qualification standard (10.25s) twice, in Bengaluru and Kochi. 'Had he finished first or second, he would have been considered,' explained Radhakrishnan, who thinks Pranav Gurav could be the first Indian to go sub-10. Hillier feels the sprinters deserve more support. 'It's very frustrating, disappointing, I don't know why the federation isn't supporting these boys as much as we would like. We weren't aware that the policy was the first to pass the post gets in, that was never communicated. Mani is absolutely heartbroken,' he said. 'It is harsh. I respect the tough standards, it is good, but if you have tough standards, then you got to give us good conditions, good tracks and good competitions to race.' Unlocking the next level For India to go under 10s, ideal conditions must be offered. 'To go to the next level, they need to compete overseas… competitions where it's set up to run fast. A Mondo track, proper warm-up area and run at the right time of the day with good winds,' said Hillier. 'We need to find where the three fastest tracks in India are and put sprint meets on them. Chennai and Bengaluru have good tracks. Let's bring overseas athletes here if we want to do it in India. 'And let's not run into headwinds. If there's a headwind, let's do it on the back straight, that's how they do it in America. Let's create the environment for these guys to run under 10s.' With the sprinters moving at such a promising pace, clearly it's time to move mountains to help them.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
India's fastest men not included for Asian meet
Gurindervir Singh (left) (Syed Asif/TOI) KOCHI/BENGALURU: A few of India's top stars including national record holder in men's 100m Gurindervir Singh , former record holder Manikanta Hoblidhar and leading men's 800m runner Mohammed Afsal, were among those who were dropped from the India squad for next month's Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. The sprinters were included in the 4x100m relay team in a late development. Indian Athletics came up with fresh yardsticks before announcing the squad on Friday, and though AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo and chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair said at the announcement press conference that a top-two finish at the Federation Cup was mandatory for making the squad, experts claim that it was never mentioned in the selection guidelines, published on the Indian Athletics website on Dec 31, 2024. 'Because of this new rule, which was never published before, Gurindervir, Manikanta and Afsal missed out on a chance to represent India at the Asian meet,' sources told TOI. While Gurindervir and Manikanta met the qualification mark of 10.25s at the Indian GP meet in Bengaluru, Afsal had met qualification in the heats at the Federation Athletics meet clocking 1:46.70s which was lower than the qualification standard of 1:47.77s. Though Afsal failed to get a top two finish, settling instead for fourth place in the final, none of the finalists including Anu Kumar (gold) and Kishan Kumar (silver), who both made the squad, met the Asian qualifying mark. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Senioren entdecken eine einfache Lösung gegen Nagelpilz Heilratgeber Weiterlesen Undo Manikanta Hoblidhar (Chetan Shivakumar/TOI) According to sources, their below-par performances in Kochi may have cost Gurindervir and Manikanta. 'There was a big gap in the performances. After the blazing run in Bengaluru, Gurindervir dropped to over 11 seconds in Kochi. That was the reason why he was not selected,' an AFI source told TOI. Gurindervir limped to a seventh-place finish, reportedly due to cramps, while Manikanta finished third. 'Gurindervir will have another chance in the World Athletics bronze meet next month and if he shows form then he will stay in the 4x100m relay squad,' sources added. Pole vaulter Dev Kumar Meena was also not considered despite improving his own national record to 5.35m in in Kochi, as this mark was below the Asian Championships qualification standard. National record holder Toor, who won gold in the last edition of the Asian Championship, was excluded from the squad after he finished a disappointing second with a throw of 18.77m in Kochi. Praveen, Shaili headline squad Meanwhile, Praveen Chithravel, Shaili Singh, and Animesh Kujur headlined the contingent. Odisha's Animesh Kujur set a national record in the 200m, while Shaili Singh erased a 23-year-old meet record of mentor Anju Bobby George in the women's long jump in Kochi. Praveen Chitravel soared to 17.37m at the Federation Athletics Championship to not only equal his national record but also seal his spot for the World Championship. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be absent from the Indian contingent due to concurrent international events, including his participation in the Doha Diamond League and the Neeraj Chopra Classic. Indian squad: Men: 200m: Animesh Kujur; 800m: Anu Kumar,Krishan Kumar; 1500m: Younus Shah; 3000m steeplechase: Avinash Sable; 5000m: Gulveer Singh,Abhishek Pal; 10,000m: Gulveer Singh,Sawan Barwal; Triple jump: Praveen Chithravel,Abdulla Aboobacker; High jump: Sarvesh Kushare; Shot Put: Samardeep Singh Gill; Javelin: Sachin Yadav,Yashvir Singh; Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar; 20km walk: Servin Sebastian,Amit; 4x100m relay: Pranav Pramod,Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidar,Amlan Borgohain,Tamilarasu,Ragul Kumar,Gurvinder Singh; 4x400m relay: Vishal TK,Jay Kumar,Manu TS,Dharamveer Chaudhary,Rince Joseph,Tushar Kanti,Santosh Kumar,Mohit Kumar. Women:200m: Nithya Gandhe; 400m: Rupal Chaudhary,Vithya Ramraj; 800m: Twinkle Chaudhary,Pooja; 1500m: Lili Das,Pooja; 3000m steeplechase: Parul Chaudhary,Ankita; 5000m: Sanjivani Baburao,Parul Chaudhary; 10,000m: Sanjivani Baburao,Seema; 100m hurdles: Jyothi Yarraji: 400m hurdles: Vithya Ramraj,Anu R; Long jump: Shaili Singh,Ancy Sojan, Heptathlon: Nandini Agasara; 4x100m relay: Nithya Gandhe,Abhinaya Rajarajan,Sneha S,Srabani Nanda,Daneshwari,V Sudeeksha; 4x400m: Rupal,Sneha K,Subha Venkatesan,Jisna Mathew,Kunja Rajitha,Sandramol Sabu.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Pranav Pramod Gurav: From doing ‘donkey work' to winning 100m gold at Federation Cup
Animesh Kujur, the National Games gold medalist, running in Lane 4 kept an eye out for Manikanta Hoblidhar, the former national record holder in Lane 3 in the 100 metres final. Manikanta had broken the meet record in the semifinals to make a statement. Yet, from Lane 2 emerged the surprise winner, Pranav Pramod Gurav. 'I did not see Pranav in my view, I saw only Manikanta,' Animesh said after the race comprising the crème de la crème of men's sprinting stars, including national record holder Gurindervir Singh. Gurindervir looked in discomfort during the final and finished sixth (11.21s) in humid conditions. By the 70 metre mark it seemed like a two horse-race between Animesh and Manikanta before Pranav shot through like a bolt at the finish line to clock 10:27 seconds and win gold. Animesh finished second (10.32s) and Manikanta was third (10.35s). It was a red-letter day for 23-year-old Pranav as he won his first-ever gold medal at a senior national competition. The little-known sprinter attracted attention when he raised his hands skyward and shouted 'Jai Shivaji' three times after winning the race. Pranav clarified he wasn't trying to make a political statement nor was he trying to be casteist. 'Shivaji and Sambhaji… when I take their names I get goosebumps. I get very motivated. That is all,' Pranav said. He was emotional too because his 84-year-old grandfather Hari Gurav, who he is very attached to, is admitted in the ICU because of high creatinine levels. 'He was admitted after I ran in Chennai (Indian Open). I was tense. For him, I have run this race and I am hoping he will be fine soon,' Pranav said. Missing out on a gold medal has more or less been the story of Pranav's career. At the National Games in February he was second to Animesh, just one of the many instances when he missed out. 'It has been worth it (wait to win a gold). For all these years I didn't give up. I had lots of ups and downs,' Pranav said. Hailing from Daund, 80 kilometres away from Pune, Pranav started training with a qualified coach, Aravind Sawant, only when he turned 18. But the challenge was to find a balance between training to become a sprinter and studying for engineering. Today he is a national gold medalist and a civil engineer. 'I would travel for about eight hours every day to the AISSMS College of Engineering. I would also train at the same time in Pune. It took time for me to find a balance between studying and training. Professors used to advise me that if you want to be a good engineering student you can't miss class. I used to practice till about 11 am before going to college. But later, I convinced the college to allow me 50 percent attendance,' Pranav said. His parents Pramod and Suvarna were keen that he focussed on getting an engineering degree but after he won an Under-23 silver they too realised he had potential as an athlete. Prior to coming under the wings of coach Sawant, Pranav says he did only 'donkey work' or training without a proper system in place. 'I didn't know what 100m or 200m was. For two to three years I begged school teachers in Daund to let me run the 100 metres. One day I got an opportunity at the Taluka level. I ran without spikes. Back then I would do 'donkey work' like hill running or running up steps but there was no focus.' Pranav expected a tough final on Monday and said he didn't expect to win the race because of the great form of his competitors. He aimed to improve his personal best, knowing he would have to really push himself to the limit in the high-quality field. 'Everybody was performing well. I was expecting someone to run a 10.10s, Gurvindervir, Animesh and Manikanta are doing really well. I didn't expect to win the race. I want to thank my coach for helping me win this medal.' Though he works for the Central Railway, Pranav is hoping to get a sponsor. 'My father still gives me funds,' he said. He believes his first place finish is not a flash in the pan. 'I know I can run faster if I get the right support.' The heats, semis and final were all held on Day 1 in humid conditions else the national record (10.20s) could have been lowered, the top sprinters believed. Manikanta is confident that it is just a matter of time before the mark is shattered again. 'It could happen at the Asian Athletics Championships in May,' Manikanta said. As for Pranav, he has his big target dangling across his chest – an Olympic rings pendant.'Qualifying for the Olympics is my big dream. I will do my best to reach my goals.' Results (Day 1 Finals) Men: 100m (Asian Qualifying time 10.25 seconds): Pranav Pramod (Railway Sports) 10.27 seconds, Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.32 seconds, Manikanta Hoblidhar (Army) 10.35 seconds;1500m (Asian Q time 3:42.30); Yoonus Shah (JSW) 3:41.93 seconds, Ajay Kumar Saroj (Uttar Pradesh) 3:42.64, Narender Singh (Haryana) 3:42.77; 10,000m (Asian Q Time 29:33.26): Sawan Barwal (Army) 28:57.13 (meet record. Previous 28:57.90 set in 2007 by Surendra Singh in Kolkata), Abhishek Pal (Railway Sports) 29:14.86, Kiran Matre (Army) 29:47.62; Javelin throw (AQ Time 75.36m): Sachin Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 83.86m, Yashvir Singh (Railway Sports) 80.85m, Sahil Silwal (Reliance) 77.84m Women: 100m (Asian Q time 11.46 seconds): Nithya Gandhe (Telangana) 11.50, Abinaya Rajarajan (Tamil Nadu) 11.54 seconds, Sneha SS (Karnataka) 11.62 seconds; 1500m (Asian Q Time 4:15.00): Lili Das (Uttarakhand) 4:10.88 seconds, Pooja (Haryana) 4:12.56 secs, Kajal R (Gujarat) 4:20.67 secs; 10,000m (Asian Q Time 33:24.79): Sanjivani Jadav (Maharashtra) 33:44.43, Seema (Himachal Pradesh) 34:55.92, Beby (Uttar Pradesh) 34:59.67; Pole vault (Asian Q mark 4.10m): Pavithra Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu) 4.00m, Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.00m, Vanshika Ghanghas (Haryana) 3.90m.
