Manju Rani of Punjab clinched the gold medal in the women's 35km race walk event at the National Inter-State Athletics Championship on Friday. However, her victory was accompanied by disappointment as she failed to meet the Asian Games qualifying mark.
Rani, 24, completed the gruelling race in 3 hours, 21 minutes, and 31 seconds, battling through challenging hot and humid conditions. Despite her commendable effort, her time fell short of the required Asian Games qualifying mark of 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 30 seconds.
It's worth noting that Rani had previously set the national record with an impressive time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, and 54 seconds at the Indian Race Walking Championships in Ranchi earlier this year.
In the men's 35km race walk event, Juned Khan from Haryana emerged victorious, crossing the finish line in 3 hours and 37 seconds. However, Khan's time also failed to meet the Asian Games qualifying mark of 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Ram Baboo, the national record holder, who had triumphed at the Indian Race Walking Championships with a remarkable time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 36 seconds, did not participate in the event.
Moving on to the women's 400m event, the semifinals witnessed four athletes surpassing the Asian Games qualifying time of 52.96 seconds. Anjali Devi from Haryana, making a remarkable comeback after a three-year hiatus, led the pack into the final with an impressive time of 52.03 seconds. She was closely followed by Vithya Ramraj (52.43) from Tamil Nadu, Himanshi Malik (52.46) from Haryana, and Aishwarya Mishra (52.73) from Maharashtra.
In the men's 400m event, Kerala's Muhammed Ajmal shattered the meet record, clocking an impressive time of 45.51 seconds. Meanwhile, Muhammed Anas, the national record holder from Kerala, secured the second-best time in the semifinals with 45.63 seconds, securing his spot in the highly anticipated final.
Among the women competing in the 100m event, Srabani Nanda from Odisha recorded the fastest time in the semi-finals, clocking an impressive 11.69 seconds. Jyothi Yarraji, a specialist in 100m hurdles, also earned a place in the 100m dash final, finishing with a time of 11.72 seconds in the semi-finals.
Unfortunately, Mareena George from Kerala, who had received permission to participate in the championship following an interim order from the Appeals Panel of the National Anti-Doping Agency, was unable to compete in the seven-event heptathlon. The morning session consisted of the 100m hurdles and high jump, which were part of the heptathlon.
The National Inter-State Athletics Championship continues to witness impressive performances from athletes as they strive to achieve their goals and make their mark in the world of athletics.
(With inputs from PTI)
