RANCHI: The second day of the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition proved to be a defining day for Indian athletics as three national records were created and major milestones were breached at Birsa Munda Stadium, Morabadi, on Saturday.
Gurindervir Singh Breaks 100m National Record
Gurindervir Singh first broke the 100m national record in the final to win the event in 10.09 seconds, becoming the first Indian to dip below 10.10 seconds. It was also enough to help him qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Vishal TK Makes History in 400m
Vishal TK of Tamil Nadu became the first from the country to dip below the 45-second mark in the 400m when he ran 44.98 seconds in the final. However, he missed the CWG qualifying mark by just 0.02 seconds.
Tejaswin Shankar Crosses 8,000 Points in Decathlon
Tejaswin Shankar lit up the evening by climbing the 8,000-point mark in the men’s decathlon as he accumulated a total of 8057 points to not only better the national record but also qualify for the CWG, for which the qualifying mark was 7787 points.
Following a brilliant opening day, after which he had 4511 points, Tejaswin began the day by clocking 14.23 seconds in the 110m hurdles. In discus throw, he recorded 37.90m and followed it up with 4.20m in pole vault. In javelin throw, however, he had a below-par outing, managing 47.71m. But in the final event — the 1500m — he ran a personal best of 4:29.02 to cross the 8,000-point mark and finish the competition on a high.
Speaking after the race, Tejaswin said, “I knew I needed around 4:37 to cross the 8,000-point mark, but I focused on sticking to my pacing plan. Then at around the 1400m mark, I was hovering around 4:12-4:15, and I knew that if I kept cruising, I could push for a strong finish. So, I went for it, and when I saw 4:29 on the clock, I was really happy.”
Vishal TK's Emotional Victory
As for Vishal, who finished ahead of Rajesh Ramesh (second, 45.31s) and Jay Kumar (third, 45.47s), he was pumped after the race and celebrated wildly with his coach Jason Dawson and father Thennarasu on the track.
“I knew I had to make history tonight. I set my mind before stepping onto the track. I knew I was capable of running 44, but I didn’t say it out loud to anyone,” said Vishal, before adding, “I’ve worked very hard for this. All the effort has been behind the scenes — because the race itself is the easy part.”
Gurindervir's Rivalry and Message
Earlier, Gurindervir, who broke the 100m national record once on Friday before seeing it bettered by Animesh Kujur within minutes, left Kujur behind in the final on Saturday. Kujur finished second in 10.20s, while Pranav Pramod was third in 10.29s.
“The rivalry I share with my competitors is a great thing, and it’s essential. Without it, the sport wouldn’t be as exciting. Earlier, everyone thought I was the only one who could run fast, but now there’s someone to challenge me,” said Gurindervir. He is, however, not done yet as he flashed the back of his bib, which read: “10.10. Task is not finished yet. Wait, I’m still standing.”
Other Highlights
While there weren’t any other significant performances, in the men’s 10,000m race walk event, Nitin Gupta, who had finished first, was disqualified and double Olympian Sandeep Kumar was declared the winner following a protest. Nitin was disqualified under World Athletics Technical Rule 6.2, which governs assistance to athletes.
Results
Men:
100m: Gurindervir Singh (Reliance) 10.09 (NR), Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.20, Pranav Pramod (Reliance) 10.29
400m: Vishal TK (Tamil Nadu) 44.98 (MR, improved his own time of 45.12), Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.31, Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 45.47
Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar (Reliance) 8057 points (NR), Thowfeeq N (NCOE Trivandrum) 7530, Gokul KR (Navy) 7157
Women:
100m: Sudeshna H (Maharashtra) 11.56, Giridharani Ravikumar (Tamil Nadu) 11.58, Tamanna (Haryana) 11.62
400m: Vithya Ramjaj (Tamil Nadu) 52.22, Ansa Babi (All India Police) 53.07, Prachi (JSW) 53.26
1500m: Pooja (JSW) 4:11.34, Ankita (Uttarakhand) 4:12.28, Anju (Haryana) 4:21.26
Javelin throw: Shilpa Rani (Haryana) 56.46m, Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh) 55.61m, Rashmi K (Andhra Pradesh) 54.85m
Shot put: Krishna Jayashankar (Reliance) 17.35m, Yogita (Haryana) 16.82m, Shiksha (Reliance) 16.61m
Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m (MR), Nitika Anup (Madhya Pradesh) 4.10m, Krishna Rachan (Railway sports) 3.90m
Triple jump: Niharika Vashisht (Punjab) 13.64m (MR), Bhairabi Roy (Railway sports) 13.28m, Mallala Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 13.28m
