Abhishek Mishra
The 1st Indian Open, World Athletics bronze meet concluded successfully, on Sunday (August 10). The one-day meet saw amazing support from the crowd. Kalinga Stadium was turned into a cauldron of energy, an almost packed stadium buzzing with school kids and local sports fans.
The event witnessed standout performances from Murali Sreeshankar, Annu Rani, Animesh Kujur, Malaysia’s Muhammad Fahimi, and Sri Lanka’s javelin star, Rumesh Pathirage.
Long Jump
The highlight of the meet was Muarli Sreeshankar’s stunning leap of 8.13m in the long jump event, leaving the crowd in awe. Murali, before the last attempt, was at the second spot with 7.95m, but he saved something for the crowd and himself, taking a big leap of 8.13m. 17-year-old Shahnawaz Khan of Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, finished second. He was on the cusp of winning the meet, but Murali pulled off an exceptional jump to soar to the top.
Bouncing back from a long injury layoff, he’s been on fire wherever he’s competed. His win at the first Indian Open was his fourth straight victory. At his favourite venue, the same place where Murali set his first National Record, and then achieved his personal best, he once again proved his dominance in the sandpit.
In the women’s long jump, Shaili Singh took the top spot with a leap of 6.28, Bhavani Yadav jumped 6.13m to finish second and Sandra Babu third with (6.10m).
Javelin Throw
In the javelin throw, the experienced Annu Rani faced no competition. She crossed the 60m mark twice on Sunday at the Kalinga Stadium. Annu dominated in the women’s javelin throw, with a best effort of 62.01m, clinching the top spot.
The Asian Games medalist, Rani, has found her rhythm and she is optimistic of getting bigger throws ahead. “In my last two competitions, I’ve crossed the 62m mark, which is a big achievement for me. I believe there’s a strong chance I can hit 65m,” she said with confidence.
The men’s javelin event saw 22-year-old Sri Lankan Pathirage soar to new heights. He set a new Sri Lankan national record with a massive throw of 86.50m, securing his spot at the Tokyo World Championships.
Sachin Yadav, who twisted his ankle at the NC Classic and is still recovering, couldn’t cross the 80m mark. Shivam Lokhare, India’s latest entrant in the 80m club, continued his good form with a throw of 80.73m, finishing second. Another Sri Lankan, Sumedha Ranasinghe, took third place with 80.65m.
100 m
In the men’s 100m, Malaysia’s Muhammad Azeem Fahimi dominated the race, winning with an impressive time of 10.35s. However, he was seen struggling to walk afterward due to a muscle strain. Sri Lanka’s Chamod Yodhasingh took second place with 10.43s, while 18-year-old Malaysian Danish Iftikhar finished third in 10.50s. It was a disappointing race for the Indians, as heat winner Harsh Raut ended up fifth with 10.56s.
In the women’s 100m, Abhinaya Rajarajan clocked 11.57s, winning the race. SS Sneha and Nithya Gandhe clocked 11.70s, finishing second and third, respectively.
200m
National record holder Animesh Kujur, who was marked DNF (Did Not Finish) in the 100m heats, bounced back in style in the men’s 200m, dominating the track with a blazing 20.77s to take the gold. South Korea’s Ko Seunghwan finished second and Ragul Kumar finished third.
Competing on home soil, Animesh was mesmerised by the crowd’s energy. “ It’s the first time I’ve seen such a crowd for athletics here, and it did add a bit of pressure. I knew I had to deliver for them,” said Animesh.
In the women’s 200m, Angel Silva crossed the finish line first with a time of 23.95s, followed by Nithya Gandhe in 24.11s and Unnati Aiyappa in 24.56s.
Here’s the complete list of results:
Men’s
100m: Muhammad Azeem Bin (Malaysia) – 10.35s; Chamod M Yodhasing (Sri Lanka) – 10.43s; Danish Iftikhar (Malaysia) – 10.50s
200m: Animesh Kujur (Odisha, IND) – 20.77s; Ko Seunghwan (Korea) – 20.95s; Raguk Kumar G (Tamil Nadu, IND) – 21.17s
400m: Vishal TK (NCOE Trivandrum, IND) – 45.72s; Amoj Jacob (NCOE Trivandrum, IND) – 45.86s; Santhosh Kumar T (Tamil Nadu, IND) – 46.89s
800m: Mohammad Afsal (Air Force, IND) – 1:46.60; Prakash Gadade (Maharashtra, IND) – 1:47.14; Krishan Kumar (Haryana, IND) – 1:48.00
5000m: Waberi Igueh Houssein (Djibouti) – 14:05.36; Abhishek Pal (Railway, IND) – 14:10.60; Sawan Barwal (Army, IND) – 14:13.41
Triple Jump: Abdulla Aboobacker (Air Force, IND) – 16.53m; Karthik Unnikrishnan (Air Force, IND) – 16.42m; Gailey V (Tamil Nadu, IND) – 16.26m
Long Jump: Murali Sreeshankar (JSW, IND) – 8.13m; Shahnavaz Khan (Uttar Pradesh, IND) – 8.04m; Lokesh Sathyanathan (Karnataka, IND) – 7.85m
Javelin Throw: Rumesh Tharanga P (Sri Lanka) – 86.50m; Shivam Lohakare (Maharashtra, IND) – 80.73m; Sumedha J Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka) – 80.65m
4x400m Relay: Sri Lanka – 3:00.22; India A (Santhosh Kumar T, Vishal TK, Amoj Jacob, D Choudhary) – 3:08.37; Iraq – 3:08.74
Women’s
100m: Abinaya Rajarajan (NCOE Trivandrum, IND) – 11.57s; Sneha SS (Karnataka, IND) – 11.70s; Nithya Gandhe (Telangana, IND) – 11.70s
200m: Angel Silvia M (NCOE Bengaluru, IND) – 23.95s; Nithya Gandhe (Telangana, IND) – 24.11s; Unnathi Aiyappa (Karnataka, IND) – 24.56s
400m: Vijaykumari GK (Karnataka, IND) – 53.40s; Devyaniba Zala (Gujarat, IND) – 53.87s; Louise Evans (Great Britain) – 54.28s
800m: Amandeep Kaur (Punjab, IND) – 2:04.31; Huidrom B (IOCL, IND) – 2:06.96; Thota Sankeertana (Chhattisgarh, IND) – 2:07.17
1500m: Pooja (Haryana, IND) – 4:15.13; Lili Das (Uttar Pradesh, IND) – 4:17.66; Amandeep Kaur (Punjab, IND) – 4:27.14
100m Hurdles: Pragyan Prashanti Sahu (Odisha, IND) – 13.74s; Nandhini K (Tamil Nadu, IND) – 13.80s; Anjali C (Kerala, IND) – 14.00s
Javelin Throw: Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh, IND) – 62.01m; Hatarabag Lekamalage (Sri Lanka) – 56.27m; Deepika (Haryana, IND) – 54.20m
Long Jump: Shaili Singh (Uttar Pradesh, IND) – 6.28m; Bhavani Yadav (Railway, IND) – 6.13m; Sandra Babu (JSW, IND) – 6.10m
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