The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Vizag women athletes lift the coveted trophy

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Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
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Vizag women athletes lift the coveted trophy

Staff Reporter

Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh coach on cloud nine

— PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

Winners’ smile: The Visakhapatnam district women athletic contingent that won the overall championship in the 33rd AP State Women Sports Festival in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

VIJAYAWADA: Smiles and cheers marked the prize distribution ceremony of the 33rd AP State Women Sports Festival, as exuberant Vizag athletes lifted the coveted trophy at IGMC Stadium on Wednesday.

Vizag athletes powered past rest of their competitors by garnering 90 points to emerge overall champions. More elated was Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh athletic coach Ananthalakshmi, who took up the coaching assignment at Vizag three years back.

“Athletes like B. Ramadevi, Venkatalakshmi, and Anita Kumari churned out brilliant performances to enable out team finish on top,” she said.

Ramadevi, who won sprint double, was the cynosure of all, as she pocketed the gold medal in 100-metre and 200-metre events.

The 24-year-old South Eastern Railway employee came into the athletic scene in 2000, and with her consistent performance earned a place in the Indian contingent for the 9th South Asian Games held at Islamabad in 2004.

“My goal is to represent India in as many as international meets as possible. I’m training hard under the watchful eyes of my coaches Sridhar and Lakshmi,” she said.

Anita Kumari, a South Eastern Railway employee, who takes part both in relays and sprints, said her gold medal performance in the junior Asiad meet at Bangkok in 2002 in 4x400 relay was the most memorable one.

“I’m also concentrating on 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre events.

I won three gold medals in these three categories in the junior nationals held at Shimoga in 2002,” she said.

Long distance runner B. Venkatalakshmi too added lustre to the championship by wining the 1,500 metre gold with an impressive 4:56.2 seconds timing.

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