The highlight of India’s first World Athletics Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar was a dramatic last-ditch effort by the country’s ace long jumper Sreeshankar Murali, who clinched his event with a last attempt of 8.13m to stave off the impressive teenager Shahnavaz Khan. The 17-year-old Khan was leading, on the verge of pulling off an upset with his fourth-round jump of 8.04m, while Sreeshankar was second with 7.95m. But the 26-year-old Sreeshankar saved the best for his last try to clinch top spot.
Apart from men’s long jump, here are four events that stood out at the Kalinga Stadium:
Women’s Javelin Throw
The first event of the day started slowly with every eye on veteran Indian thrower Annu Rani. “Since I have got my rhythm back, I want to achieve the World Championships qualification,” she had told The Indian Express on the eve of the competition. And staying true to her words, Annu came up with two big throws of 62.01m and 61.10m to further solidify her position in the World Championships qualification ranking.
Annu Rani won the women’s javelin throw event with a 62m plus throw. (AFI)
The 32-year-old was way clear of the rest of the field as second best thrower was NDL Lekamalage of Sri Lanka with 56.27m. “Despite fatigue, if I can cross 60m easily, then I guess I am ready for a medal at the Worlds,” said Annu after her win.
Men’s Javelin Throw
Probably the most competitive field of the day, men’s javelin throw witnessed a stunning opening as Rumesh Pathirage threw 86.50m to record his personal best, set a new Sri Lankan national record, and qualify for the World Championships directly. However, it was a dull show after the starting high as only four Throwers crossed 80m. The latest Indian entrant to the 80m club, Shivam Lohakare denied a 1-2 Sri Lankan finish with 80.73m throw while former Sri Lanka NR holder Sumedha Ranasinghe finished third with 80.65m. World Championships bound Sachin Yadav and Yashvir Singh had poor outings with best throws of 79.80m and 78.53m.
Men’s 100m
One of the most sought-after race of the evening, the men’s 100m had an anti-climactic finish as the winner Muhammad Azeem Fahemi of Malaysia went down immediately after the finish, calling for medical help. The Malaysian clocked 10.35s to win but was in pain after evidently pulling a muscle. Sri Lanka’s Chamod Yodhasing finished second with 10.43s and 18-year-old Malaysian Danish Iftikhar came third with 10.50s. It was a disappointing race for the Indians as the fastest man in heats, Harsh Raut finished fifth with 10.56s.
Men’s 200m
The last individual race of the day drew the most cheers as the local lad Animesh Kujur walked on to the track nonchalantly. However, after winning the race with a timing of 20.77s, Animesh said,”Honestly, for the first time I saw a crowd here for athletics and it put a bit pressure on me. I knew I had to perform for them.” It was a special occasion for him as his parents were in attendance, watching him.
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Sprinter Animesh Kujur with his family at the World Athletics Continental Tour event, in Bhubaneswar. (Express Photo by Pritish Raj)
This is the first time his parents have seen him running since 2022. “It was exciting to see so many people cheering for him. Never thought of this moment,” his father Amrit Kujur told the media later on. With this win, Animesh has added more ranking points to his kitty, further solidifying his position in the World Championships qualification race.
Disappointing day for twins Nithya & Vithya
Two of the fastest Indian hurdlers, Vithya and Nithya Ramaraj had an unlucky outing at the event. Vithya was disqualified from the 400m event after a false start while her sister Nithya, competing in the 100m hurdles, crashed at the third-last hurdle and failed to finish the race. Nithya’s fall was bad in particular as she fell while leading the race, getting herself into a tangle towards the latter stages. The crash left her reeling in pain on the track. Later, Vithya confirmed that it was a fracture on the left leg as the duo left for the hospital with their coach Nehpal Singh to get an MRI scan.
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