Sport - Athletics   

Ghosh, Saraswati sprint champs; Jincy, Rai among winners

By K.P. Mohan

Photo: V. Sudershan

Sanjay Kumar Rai of Railways who won the long jump event at the National athletic circuit meet at Patiala on Tuesday.

PATIALA OCT. 14. Mediocrity rather than brilliance, thin fields rather than packed ones and an overall mood of indifference marked the fare in the concluding leg of the National athletics circuit at the NIS Complex here on Tuesday, leaving the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) with very little options in finalizing the team for the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad.

Barring a few exceptions, Tuesday's performances were in keeping with the trend set so far, a trend that led to the `gold-less' feat in the Asian championships in Manila. If one felt that the incentive of clinching a place in the Afro-Asian Games squad might bring about tougher contests and a flurry of season bests, one was in for a disappointment.

To have won the 400m, just after her comeback following marriage and an ankle injury, was creditable on the part of Jincy Philip. The 54.30s that she returned for the gold was, of course, well below par, but to be back into the winning mode, after a second place in the Open, gladdened Jincy much. Her husband, P. Ramachandran, could only manage the bronze, however, in the corresponding men's race, with Manojlal taking the gold and Bhupinder Singh the silver. Since winning the Federation Cup in Hyderabad, Manojlal has not lost the one-lap event at home this season.

Sanjay Kumar Rai, also on a comeback, this season after a back injury and an ankle injury had kept him out for more than a year, won the long jump gold with a decent-looking 7.76m, his best for the season and just a centimetre ahead of the second-placed Shiv Shankar Yadav. Rai felt that he was getting back his rhythm at last and might just be able to regain his wonted form that had helped him touch eight metres twice in the year 2000. He had won at the Open National in Bangalore also, but with a poorer 7.58m.

The disappointment in long jump was Wayne Peppin of Tamil Nadu ending up fourth with only 7.43. He had caused quite a sensation this season by winning the inter-State title with a 7.90m in Jamshedpur.

Sanjay Ghosh won the 100 metres in 10.45s, his best in a final this season. Piyush Kumar and Sandeep Sarkaria followed him to the line and complained that the report of the gun was not audible. It actually was so and a `recall' would have been in order.

Shakti Singh edged Bahadur Singh in the now-familiar duel for the shot put gold, 18.95m to 18.83m. With places in the Asian team certain for both of them, as far as the Afro-Asian Games was concerned, they could take things easy. The absence of Jaiveer Singh, the man who won plenty of titles this season at home, but turned out to be ahuge disappointment in Manila, was inexplicable.

Sunita Rani and Madhuri Singh were absent from the women's 1500m, leaving Sunita Kanojia with a gold for the asking. Neelam J. Singh and Saraswati Saha won routine gold medals in the discus and 100m respectively, with 59.75m and 11.73s.

The results:

Men:

100m: Race `A': 1. Sanjay Ghosh (Ser) 10.45s, 2. Piyush Kumar (Del) 10.57, 3. Sandeep Sarkaria (Del) 10.67; Race `B': 1. Abhishek Pandey (UP) 10.73s, 2. Parmeshwar (Kar) 10.80, Arshad Hussain (AP) 10.96; 400m: Race `A': 1. K. J. Manojlal (Ker) 46.52s, 2. Bhupinder Singh (Har) 47.23, 3. P. Ramachandran (TN) 47.43; Race `B' : 1, Gurjinder Singh (P. Pol) 48.44s, 2. Shiv Pratap (ONGC) 48.67, 3. Sanga Priya (Del) 48.75; 800m: 1. P. S. Primesh (LIC) 1:51.72, 2. Ghamanda Ram (Ser) 1:51.87, 3. S. J. Suhesh (Ser) 1:51.87; 5000m: 1. Gulab Chand (AP) 14:42.90, 2. Arun D' Souza (AP) 14:43.95, 3. I. A. Shivananda (AP) 14:45.03; 110m hurdles: 1. Naunidh Singh (Pun) 14.37s, 2. Gurpreet Singh (Pol) 14.43, 3. Prasad Reddy (Ser) 14.73; long jump: 1. Sanjay Kumar Rai (Rly) 7.76m, 2. Shiv Shankar Yadav (UP) 7.75, 3. Maha Singh (Pun) 7.65;Triple jump: 1. Amarjeet Singh (Pun) 15.73m, 2. K. C. Saintson (Ser) 15.52, 3. Bhupinder Singh (Pol) 15.23; Shot put: 1. Shakti Singh (Rly) 18.95m, 2. Bahadur Singh (Pol) 18.83, 3. Navpreet Singh (Pol) 18.62; Discus: 1. Anil Kumar (ONGC) 54.80m, 2. Gursewak Singh (Pol) 52.02, 3. Devender Singh (Pun) 51.68; Javelin: 1. Jagdish Bishnoi (Pol) 73.45m, 2. Harminder Singh (Pol) 71.90, 3. Avtar Singh (Pol) 71.28.

Women:

100m: 1. Saraswati Saha (Ben) 11.73s, 2. Poonam Tomar (Del) 11.91, 3. Greeshamma K.M. (Ker) 12.15; 400m: 1. Jincy Philip (Pol) 54.30s, 2. S. Geetha (AP) 54.34, 3. Pinki Parmanik (Ben) 54.60; 1500m: 1. Sunita Kanojia (Pol) 4:32.50, 2. Ramla Devi (Pol) 4:37.59, 3. L. Aruna Devi (Ben) 4:38.34; 100m hurdles: 1. K. N. Priya (TN) 14.05s, 2. J.J. Shobha (AP) 14.05, 3. Soma Biswas (Ben) 14.36; Long jump: 1. J. J. Shobha (Rly) 6.36, 2. Soma Biswas (Ben) 6.15, 3. P. S. Bindu (Ben) 5.91; Discus: 1. Neelam J. Singh (Rly) 59.75m, 2. Harwant Kaur (Pun) 52.52, 3. Swaranjeet Kaur (Pun) 50.59; Hammer: 1. Hardeep Kaur (Pun) 56.48m, 2. Alka Pandey (UP) 52.49, 3.

Rajwinder Kaur (Pun) 52.12.

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