Inter-State Athletics: Karnataka's pole vaulter Sindhushree enters her name in record books (Ld)
Bhubaneswar, June 25
Karnataka's aspiring pole vaulter Sindhushree G. was among several athletes who successfully achieved the qualification standards in their respective events in the upcoming Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on the second day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
Sindhushree, 26, fulfilled the mark in style on a day when as many as seventeen athletes booked their berths for the Asian Games starting September 19 by achieving the qualification criteria set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
On her way to winning the gold medal, she improved the national record to 4.25m, which was better than the Asian Games qualification mark of 4.10m. The previous record of 4.23m was set recently by Baranica, who settled for silver with a height of 4.20m.
Sindhushree also bettered the meet record of 4.10m set by Pavithra Venkatesh in 2023. Jubilant Sindhushree said she was mentally prepared to book an Asian Games berth. "I had trained hard, but the national record was a bonus," says Sindhushree.
Nitika Akare of Madhya Pradesh won the bronze medal (4.10m) and was the third pole vaulter to achieve the Asian Games qualification mark of 4.10m.
The women's 200m and 800m were two track events of the day in which the top three finishers bettered the Asian Games qualification mark. All three medal winners in women's shot put also achieved the Asian Games qualification mark.
Odisha's star sprinter Animesh Kujur was the only athlete in the men's 200m to achieve the Asian Games mark of 20.88 seconds. His gold medal-winning time was 20.74 seconds.
In the highly competitive men's two-lap race, Mohammed Afsal of Kerala (1:48.57 secs) and Krishan Kumar from Haryana (1:48.82 secs) finished first and second, respectively. Both athletes bettered the Asian Games qualification time of 1:48.80 seconds. "My goal is to improve my fitness to clock below 1:45 for the 800m in the near future," says Mohammed Afsal.
Results (Day 2):
Men:
200m (AG Q Time 20.88 seconds): Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 20.74 seconds, Dondapathi Mruthy Jayaram (Odisha) 20.97 secs, Jishnu Prasad PK (Kerala) 21.18 secs.
800m (AG Q Time 1:48.80 seconds): Mohammed Afsal P (Kerala) 1:48.57 secs, Krishan Kumar (Haryana) 1:48.82 secs, Prathamesh Deore (Maharashtra) 1:48.89 secs.
Discus throw (AG Q Mark 60.13m): Kirpal Singh (Chandigarh) 57.37m, Nirbhay Singh (Haryana) 55.26m, Arjun (Delhi) 54.90m.
21km race walk (AG Q Time 1:25:37.00): Sevin Sebastian (Tamil Nadu) 1:31:49.00, Sachin Bohra (Uttarakhand) 1:32:10.00, Ningthoukhongja (Manipur) 1:32:24.00.
Decathlon (AG Q Mark 7250 points): Thowfeeq N (Kerala) 7276 points, Kushal Mohite (Maharashtra) 7251 points, Jasbir Nayak (Odisha) 7131 points.
Women:
200m (AG Q Time 23.70 seconds): Harita Bhadra (Maharashtra) 23.14 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 23.40 seconds, Prakruthi Poopa Rao (Karnataka) 23.58 seconds.
800m (AG Q Time 2:05.21 seconds): Gowthami Jayaraman (Tamil Nadu) 2:04.17, Pooja (Haryana) 2:04.37 secs, Lili Das (Uttarakhand) 2:04.59 secs.
Shot put (AG Q Mark 16.25m): Manpreet Kaur (Haryana) 17.75m, Krishna Jayashankar (Tamil Nadu) 16.69m, Srishti Vig (Delhi) 16.96m.
Pole vault (AG Q Mark 4.10m): Sindhushree G (Karnataka) 4.25m (NR previous national record 4.23m set by Baranica), Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.20m, Nitika Akare (Madhya Pradesh) 4.10m.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, Indian athletics is showing some real depth. 17 athletes qualifying on a single day is incredible. I'm especially impressed with the women's 200m where three runners all beat the Asian Games mark. Harita Bhadra's 23.14 seconds is world-class timing! But we need better training facilities and more competitions at the grassroots level to sustain this momentum.
Mohammed Afsal's comment about wanting to clock under 1:45 for 800m shows the right mentality. We need athletes thinking big, not just qualifying. His 1:48.57 is excellent but the real race will be against the Chinese and Japanese runners. The men's 800m final at Asian Games will be a cracker! 🏃♂️
Love seeing the southern states doing well! Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala - all producing top athletes. But honestly, where are the athletes from states like Bihar, UP, and Rajasthan? We need to identify talent from rural areas. The AFI must do district-level scouting if we want to win medals at the Olympics. 🤔
As someone who's been following Indian athletics for years, seeing 17 athletes qualify in one day is phenomenal. The women's shot put results are particularly impressive - Manpreet Kaur throwing 17.75m is a serious statement. But I'm worried about the men's discus where Kirpal Singh's 57.37m didn't even reach the Asian Games mark. Room for improvement there.
So happy to see Sindhushree break
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