The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Another chance for Olympic hopefuls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 23, 2004

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Sport - Athletics

Another chance for Olympic hopefuls

By Avinash Nair

BANGALORE, JULY 22. Selection, nay qualifying standards, is a subjective matter! Or that's what AAFI has projected thus far.

On the eve of the fourth National Athletics Circuit meet, here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, which incidentally is also the last chance for the fringe athletes to cling onto the Athens Olympic bandwagon, some have already attained the qualifying mark but are yet to get the assertive nod while some are within the attaining range.

Amritpal Singh did break a long-standing National record in the long jump event in the name of T.C. Yohannan with an 8.08 metres effort at the Delhi Circuit Meet. But subsequent injury at the SAF Games and a poor 7.49 metres at the Chennai inter-State meet, which saw him finish outside the medal bracket, has posed a question mark on his Olympic berth.

Vikas Gowda is another athlete who is unsure of his berth. Having done consistently well in the US where he is settled, Vikas had a poor 54 plus metre effort in the discus throw at Chennai. And with his event not there in Bangalore the lad's bleary eyes did depict his feelings.

A few hopefuls — the shot putters led by Ranvijay Singh and Shakti Singh and the triple jumpers — Amarjit Singh are well within striking distance of the qualifying mark, so is Saraswati Saha in the women's 200m while National champion Anil Kumar could well bring out his best in the 200 metres again. Anil Kumar had a superb run at Chennai clocking 20.84 seconds while the qualifying mark is 20.75 seconds.

About 50 athletes from the National camp will be on view. However, those who had attained the qualifying mark, especially in the distaff side already away in Ukraine for training and competition there, the glamour sure will be missing.

On the organisational front, the technical delegate from the AAFI Mr. K. Devadass looked a harried man. "Have been waiting for the equipments and materials since noon and nothing seems to be happening here" was his lament.

With the meet expected to take off at 2.30 p.m. on the morrow even the order of events and list of participants was not available for the press.

Also with some events deleted, the men's 4x400 metre relay team is a disappointed lot.

A sorry state of affairs, indeed!

The events:

Men: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, long jump, high jump, triple jump, shot put, javelin throw, hammer throw and 110m hurdles.

Women: 200m, 800m, high jump, long jump, hammer throw and 100m hurdles.

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