The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : It's Susmita's day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 02, 2005

Sport

Sport - Athletics

It's Susmita's day

S. Thyagarajan

Chennai: Portrayed as "a coronation without a crown'' the combined events in competitive athletics underlines not merely the essence of character and calibre but stretches the endurance level beyond human comprehension. The AFI experiment to segregate the multiple events in track and field is perhaps a finest example to give those practitioners of the gruelling event, that identifies the "complete athlete,'' a decent recognition to their endeavour that exemplifies determination and devotion.

It is not as if that the AFI will spot instantly a Ramon Sebrle, that marvellous competitor from Czechoslovakia holding the centre-stage now, or a colourful star like Britain's Daley Thompson, a Bruce Jenner or a Bob Mathias. Probably, we may not even have an athlete today to match the National record of V.S. Chauhan (7306 points) or the former Kerala icon, Suresh Babu.

Dampener

But all said and done, there was a dawn of a new era when the first ever National meet for combined events at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday, sponsored by Indian Oil Corporation, went off the starting blocks. That only 11 States could figure came as a dampener in some sense.On view were a few nationally renowned competitors that included the reigning National champion, Kulwinder Singh of Punjab and another gutsy competitor from Haryana, Jora Singh, who performed with credit at the recent Inter-State in Bangalore. Both were fighting for the top spot along with Mandeep Kumar of Andhra at the end of the five events on Monday.

However the star of the opening day was not the Olympian, Soma Biswas from West Bengal but her compatriot Susmita Singha Roy, who ended the first day with a tally of 3312 points. Soma Biswas totalled 3000 after four events. The two will have to fight for the honours in the absence of the National champion, J.J. Shoba who failed to turn up.

The results: Decathlon (Men): 100 metres: 1. Kulwinder Singh (Punjab) 11.02s (856 points), 2. Mandeep Kumar (AP) 11.09s (841); 3. Jora Singh (Haryana) 11.38s (778): Long Jump: 1. Chandrasekhar (TN) 7.17m. (854); 2. Ram Viswas (Haryana) 7.12m (842), 3. Dhanajay Rai (UP) 6.98m (809); Shot put: 1. Kulwinder Singh 13.56m (701), 2. Jora Singh 12.87m (659), 3. Ram Viswas 12.28m (623); High Jump: 1. Ram Viswas 1.87m (687), Sam Varghese (Kerala) 1.87 (687), Dhanajay Rai 1.87m (687); 400 metres: 1. Jora Singh 49.21s (851), 2. Mandeep Kumar 49.22 (851), 3. Kulwinder Singh 49.61 (831).

Positions at the end of five events: 1. Kulwinder Singh 3792 points, 2. Mandeep Kumar 3720, 3. Ram Viswas 3712. Boys: Under-20: 1. Nondisamy (TN) (3175 points), 2. B. Srinivasa Reddy (AP) (2900); Ratheesh Gopi (Kerala) (2701). Octathlon (under-18): 1.Deepan Kumar (TN) (2401 points), 2. Senthil Kumar (TN) (2307), 3. Karan Datta (Delhi) (2165). Pentathlon: (under-16): 1. Rajakumar (TN) (2062 points), 2. Rajiv Gandhi (TN) (1987), 3. Eswar Reddy (AP) (1896).

Heptathlon (Women): 100 hurdles: 1. Susmita Singha Roy (Bengal) 14.60 (895), 2. Soma Biswas (Bengal) 15.14 (823), 3. Karpuramala (TN) 15.48s (779); High Jump: 1. Susmita Singha Roy, 1.75m (916), 2. Soma Biswas and Karpuramala 1.57m (701), Shot put: Soma Biswas 12.48 (693), 2. Susmita Singha Roy 11.14 (604), 3. Rosylin Arokia Mary 10.16m (540); 200 metres: 1. Susmita Singha Roy 24.89s (897), 2. Roslin Arokya Mary 25.73s (821), 3. Soma Biswas and V. Leelavathi 26.16s (783).

After four events: 1. Susmita Singha Roy (3312), 2. Soma Biswas (3000), 3. Karpuramala (2603).

Girls (under-20): 1. Silpa Sundar (Karnataka) (2685 points), 2. C. Dayalani (TN) (2424); 3. Srima Priyadarshini (Karnataka) (2234). (Under 18): 1. Natasha Sagar (Karnataka) 2651 points; 2. Sbina Khalam (Bengal) (2351), 3. Pavithra Swapna (TN) (2313). Pentathlon: (under-16): 1. Niksy Joseph (Kerala) (1722 points), 2. Liksy Joseph (Kerala) (1624), 3. Keethana (TN) (1450).

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