India’s Bapi Hansda won the silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the ongoing 5th Youth Asian Athletics Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
He clocked 51.38 seconds, his personal best, to finish ahead of Sri Lanka’s Kuda Liyanage Ayomal, who timed 51.40, to bag bronze while Qatar’s Mahamat Abakar Abdrahman won the gold with a time of 50.91 secs.
Speaking after the final, Bapi said, “This was my first major international competition. I am very happy that I won silver. To get it with a personal best was even more satisfying. I hope to keep improving in the future.”
“Before the race, I was a little nervous as I had finished third in the heats. But before the race, the coach took me aside during the warm ups and calmed me down. I felt pretty good after that and my mind was in a good space.”
“Bapi ran a brave race. He was a bit nervous before the race because he had finished third yesterday in the heats due to which he was assigned lane 8. I call it a gutsy effort by him today because he was almost running blind in lane 8, he was a little behind midway but made a brilliant finish,” said Martin Owens, an elated Head Coach of the Odisha Reliance HPC.
“Considering this is only his 5th attempt in the 400m hurdles, it is a fantastic achievement and the lad has clocked his personal best.”
Bapi, a native of Basta in Balasore – a coastal district in the northernmost part of Odisha, is currently part of the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Center (ORFAHPC) and has been making remarkable strides in the 400m hurdles.
The ORFAHPC is a collaborative effort between the Odisha Government and Reliance Foundation to ensure appropriate infrastructure for athletes.
Coach Martin Owens (R), who considered the medal a ‘fantastic achievement’ with Bapi Hansda after the race. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Bapi recently won gold at the 18th National Youth Championship clocking 51.90 secs. With this timing, Bapi ranked World No. 1 in the under-18 category and also qualified for Asian Youth Athletics Championship.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had recently felicitated Bapi Hansda with a cash award of Rs 25 Lakhs for his feat at the Nationals.
“I congratulate Bapi on his achievement at the Asian level. He is an inspiring example for other athletes. In spite of a lot of challenges in his personal life, Bapi has been able to achieve this feat, the Chief Minister said after Bapi’s success.
“I am happy that our investment in the sports ecosystem has started showing results,” he added.
Martin is optimistic about Bapi’s prospects in the upcoming events too. He will next be vying for honours in the Commonwealth Championships in August.
“We will be looking at taking him for the Commonwealth Championships in August and then prepare for the Junior World Championships next year. This kid has a lot of potential,” he added.
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