The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Tintu goes past National record

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

Sport

Sport - Athletics

Tintu goes past National record

By Our Principal Correspondent

KOCHI, DEC. 7. She missed the State record by a whisker. To be more precise, by one tenth of a second while winning the junior girls 800m. But a few minutes later, Kozhikode's Tintu Luka realised that she had run a lot faster than the National record at the Kerala State schools athletic meet here on Tuesday.

Kerala athletes are so good in the sport that in a couple of events, the State schools record is better than the National mark.

That is because only performances at the National Schools Meet are taken into consideration for National record purposes.

And after a smart race and a strong finish this evening, Tintu clocked 2:15.60 secs, more than a second faster than Gujarat girl Abhirani's three-year-old National mark of 2:16.74 secs.

After winning her second gold here, Tintu is now a star outside but not at home. Very much like her coach P.T.Usha who gets a lot of support for her new athletics academy from outside the State and country but has to cross quite a few hurdles at home in her new venture.

Usha's protest

"My trainee, C. Shilpa, should have got the gold in the sub-junior girls 200m today. The first two finished with the same time but I have video proof to show that Shilpa was ahead at the finish," said Usha, now the coach of a talented bunch.

"There are strange things happening here, my trainees are not being given a fair deal in other events too," said the Olympian.

Shilpa was given the silver, but Usha has given a protest. The verdict is yet to come.

Idukki's Robin Rose Mani, a student of Vellayamkudy Jerome HSS, shattered the 12-year-year-old State mark in the junior boys 800 m.

It was his second record and gold at this meet but it did not come as a surprise. He was just continuing the hilly district's domination in the event.

Afte the penultimate day's events, Ernakulam looks set to end the 16-year domination of Kottayam in the meet.

The host district, with 209 points, enjoyed a 50-point lead over Kottayam today.

The records:

Boys, seniors: Prasodh S. Narayan (discus, NSS HSS, Ramankary, Alp, 35.89m, OR 35.81, 2002).

Juniors: Robin Rose Mani (800m, Vellayamkudy Jerome HSS, Idk, 1:58.60s, OR 1:58.90, 1992). Dhaneesh Stephen (pole-vault, Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam, Ekm, 3.81m, OR 3.80, 2001).

Girls, seniors: Jijimol Jacob (3,000 m, St. George HSS, Koth., Ekm, 10:04.20s, OR 10:16.20, 1997). S.G. Greeshma (shot put, LNCPE-SAI, Tvm, 11.08m, OR 10.76, 2001).

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