She may not be in the news often but middle distance runner P. U. Chitra has shown some impressive progress this year. The two-time Asian 1500m gold medallist has come up with personal bests in both the 800m and the metric mile this season.
The 23-year-old Railway athlete played her cards smartly to clinch the women’s 800m title comfortably in the 59th National Open athletics championships at the Birsa Munda Stadium here on Sunday evening. Playing a patient, waiting game, she shadowed Jessy Joseph for a major part of the race.
With the win, Chitra walked home with a fine double, having won the 1500m earlier.
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One had expected Lili Das, who had frequently given Chitra a tough battle, to put up a strong fight but the young girl could not even finish the race. And with race leader Jessy struggling on the home stretch, Shipra Sarkar and Pramila Yadav grabbed the silver and bronze.
Triple-jump gold for U. Karthik
Meanwhile, Services’ U. Karthik won the men’s triple jump gold with a last-round 16.78m and he was just two centimetres away from his personal best. Though the event was close, with Abdulla Aboobacker putting up a strong challenge, the young Mohammed Salahuddin was far away from his best and finished fifth with 16.02.
Arshdeep Singh hit a personal best 77.37m for the men’s javelin gold but Davinder Singh (personal best 84.57m), who had entered the World Championship final two years ago, was fourth with a disappointing 72.14m.
Anas pulls out
Dutee Chand, the country’s fastest woman, completed a double by taking the 200m gold but Muhammed Anas, the national record holder, did not start the men’s 200m final. “I had slight pain, so I pulled out...I did not want to take a risk,” explained Anas, who was in action in the recent Doha Worlds and had helped India secure a Tokyo Olympics berth in the mixed relay.
M. R. Poovamma, another relay international, had false-started in the women’s heats a day earlier.
Haryana won both the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays while Railways bagged the overall title.
Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and sprinter Dutee Chand were adjudged as the best athletes in the men’s and women’s sections, respectively.
- Men
- 200m: 1. Abhinav Panwar (Del) 21.37s, 2. Karre Ashok (Ser) 21.40, 3. M. Manikanda Arumugam (Rly) 21.44.
- 800m: 1. P. Mohammed Afsal (Ser) 1:50.88s, 2. Ankesh Chaudhary (Ser) 1:51.55, 3. Mujamil Ameer (TN) 1:52.18.
- 3000m steeple chase: 1. Durga Bahadur Budha (Ser) 8:44.96s, 2. Shankar Lal Swami (Ser) 8:54.03, 3. Balkishan (Har) 9:03.22.
- 4x400m relay: 1. Haryana (Yogesh Ahlawat, Sunny, Paramvir Singh, Angrej Singh) 3:08.51s, 2. Services (3:10.11), 3. Malaysia (3:11.04).
- Javelin throw: 1. Arshdeep Singh (Pun) 77.37m, 2. Rajender Singh (Har) 75.23, 3. Anil Kumar Rajbhar (Ser) 74.45.
- Hammer throw: 1. Taranveer Singh Bains (Ser) 68.49m, 2. Ashish Jakhar (Ser) 66.22, 3. Shankar Nagarajan (TN) 63.03.
- Women
- 200m: 1. Dutee Chand (Odi) 23.17s, 2. Archana Suseendran (TN) 23.41, 3. Chandra Lekha (Rly) 23.71.
- 800m: 1. P.U. Chitra (Rly) 2:04.59s, 2. Shipra Sarkar (Rly) 2:06.17, 3. Pramila Yadav (UP) 2:06.34.
- 3000m steeple chase: 1. Chita (Rly) 10:11.70s, 2. Parul Chaudhary (Rly) 10:11.77, 3. Komal Chandraka Jagai (Mah) 10:17.36.
- 4x400m relay: 1. Haryana (Kavita, Shiksha Dagar, Kiran, Anjali Devi) 3:41.47s, 2. Punjab (3:43.62), 3. Railway (3:44.28).
- High jump: 1. Rubina Yadav (Rly) 1.76m, 2. Laimwn Narzary (Rly) 1.73, Libia Shaji (Ker) 1.70.
- Hammer throw: 1. Rekha Singh (Del) 56.38m), 2. Jyoti Jakhar (Rly) 56.13, 3. Kulvinder Kaur (Raj) 55.13.
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