Indian athletes eye Worlds berth

The last-minute change of venue — from Delhi to Patiala — came as a bit of a setback for the athletes who had to change their travel plans. The conditions have been windy here for the last two days and as such, the athletes feared it might interfere with their performances.

“We prefer the heat of Delhi. The Jawaharlal Nehru stadium is an enclosed structure, so the wind is never a threat. The NIS is more open and if the wind persists, it can affect the timing, and might not even be accepted. The last minute change will definitely be an issue, but we can do little about it,” said Karnataka’s M R Poovamma, the 400M runner.

There, however, was no shortage of enthusiasm among the athletes who trained with vigour before the meet. The championship doubles up as a selection trial for the Asian meet to be held in Bhubaneswar from July 6 to 9. The athletes also would be looking to attain qualification standards for the World Championships in August.Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, among the few to have qualified for the Worlds in London, said he would use the meet to improve his personal best. 

“The competition in javelin has increased tremendously, so I need to keep working hard, keeping in mind the World Championships. The decision on my new coach will be taken after the Federation Cup,” he said.

Chopra was training under Australian expert Garry Calvert, before the latter quit the job last month. The 19-year-old had produced a silver medal-winning throw of 83.32 metres in the second leg of the Asian Grand Prix in China to qualify for London.

The competition in the women’s 400M also has become intense with Jisna Mathew outdoing the seasoned Poovamma in the third Indian Grand Prix in New Delhi. Poovamma, though, welcomed the competition. 

“Earlier on, it was always me. Now there is Jisna and also Nirmala (Sheoran). So it’s great to have some competition on the domestic circuit. I am not too worried. I don’t want to peak too early but want to take it slow and steady,” she said.

The training session was supervised by the new 400M and relay coach, the 72-year-old Russian-American Galina Bukhkarina, who arrived a few days ago.

The Athletics Federation of India stated more than 700 entries had been received for the meet. Some of the top names include Ankit Sharma (long jump), Tintu Luka (800M) and Sudha Singh (3000M steeplechase). Steeplchaser Lalita Babar, who got married recently, and triple jumper Renjith Maheswary were among the notable absentees.  

AFI for clean athletes

Meanwhile, the doping issue involving 400M hurdler Jithin Paul at NIS Patiala has left the AFI red-faced. The federation has asked NADA to take strict measures in the collection of samples during the Federation Cup. “See, so far it is just an allegation. But he (Paul) will have to prove his innocence in front of the panel,” AFI director ML Dogra told Deccan Herald.