Bhubaneswar: Thirteen aspiring athletes, including six men’s triple jumpers, breached Asian Games qualification standards on the third day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee will decide the final Asian Games contingent after the conclusion of the Bhubaneswar competition. As per selection norms, two athletes will be picked for each track and field event.
The evening session began with the hammer throw final, where Punjab’s Damneet Singh won gold with a best throw of 69.72m. His effort also surpassed the Asian Games qualification mark of 69.12m. Rajasthan’s Praveen Kumar claimed silver with a throw of 69.58m, which also met the qualification standard.
A strong showing followed in the discus throw event, where Haryana dominated the podium. Seema won gold, followed by Sanya Yadav with silver and Nidhi with bronze. All three athletes surpassed the Asian Games qualification mark of 55.48m.
The men’s triple jump witnessed another dominant display as the top six finishers cleared the Asian Games qualification mark of 16.28m. Praveen Chithravel clinched gold with an opening jump of 16.92m.
On the track, national record holder Tejas Shirse secured a comfortable win in the men’s 110m hurdles. He clocked 13.61 seconds, bettering the Asian Games qualification time of 13.63 seconds.
In the women’s 400m hurdles heats, Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu recorded a time of 56.69 seconds to stay in contention for an Asian Games berth.
The day underlined a strong overall performance by Indian athletes, with multiple competitors meeting or exceeding qualification standards across events.
Other Results: Men: 110m hurdles (AG Q Time 13.63 seconds): Tejas Shirse (Maharashtra) 13.61 seconds, Manav R (Tamil Nadu) 13.66 seconds, Krishik M (Karnataka) 13.69 seconds.
Hammer throw (AG Q Mark 69.12m): Damneet Singh (Punjab) 69.72m, Praveen Kumar (Rajasthan) 69.58m, Ashish Jakhar (Haryana) 67.61m.
Triple jump (AG Q Mark 16.28m): Praveen Chithravel (Tamil Nadu) 16.92m, Karthik U (Kerala) 16.80m, Selva Prabhu (Tamil Nadu) 16.79m.
4x100m relay: Odisha 39.92 seconds, Tamil Nadu 40.02 seconds, Maharashtra 40.37 seconds.
Women: Discus throw (AG Q Mark 55.48m): Seema (Haryana) 59.73m, Sanya Yadav (Haryana) 56.05m, Nidhi (Haryana) 55.92m.
21km race walk (AG Q time 1:37:20.00): Munita Prajapati (Uttar Pradesh) 1:45:05.00, Reshma Patel (Uttar Pradesh) 1:45:48.00, Sejla Anil Singh (Maharashtra) 1:46:31.00.
4x100m relay: Karnataka 44.75 seconds, Tamil Nadu 45.07 seconds, Maharashtra 46.21 seconds. Odisha’s women’s team didn’t finish.
Mixed 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu 3:23.51 seconds, Punjab 3:23.54 seconds, Rajasthan 3:23.85 seconds.
