64th National Inter State Senior Athletics: Annu bags javelin gold, Moumita beats Shaili to long jump gold
Her opening throw of 61.05m was enough to secure victory and also provided crucial ranking points in her qualification bid;
Annu rani; shaili singh
CHENNAI: Two-time Olympian and Asian Games medallist Annu Rani topped the women’s javelin event and is now almost certain to qualify for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
Her opening throw of 61.05m was enough to secure victory and also provided crucial ranking points in her qualification bid. Currently ranked 29th in the world, Annu expressed confidence that her place at the World Championships is already assured.
“I’ve already qualified, and my coach advised me to take part here for the much-needed match experience,” Annu told the media when asked about her qualification status.
Following her opening effort, she registered throws of 57.22m, 60.61m and ended with 60.14m. She also added that she had already competed in three tournaments this month and did not wish to push herself too hard ahead of the upcoming international event.
“It was a good experience overall. The humidity made it challenging, and I didn’t want to peak here because I want to save my best for the big stage,” she added.
Dhana wins another gold
Meanwhile, sprinter Dhanalakshmi continued her impressive comeback from a doping ban. After clinching gold in the 100m earlier in the week, she added another by winning the women’s 200m in 23.53s on Saturday. Shivani Saini of Uttar Pradesh claimed silver, while Sakshi Chavan took bronze.
In the men’s 200m, Animesh Kujur broke his own meet record set in Panchkula last year, clocking 20.63s for gold. Tamil Nadu’s Ragul Kumar won silver, and Assam’s Amlan Borgohain settled for bronze.
Heartbreak for Shaili
Long jumper Shaili Singh, however, endured a difficult outing. The 21-year-old, who had set a 23-year-old meet record with a 6.64m jump at the Federation Cup in April and recently won gold at the Continental Bronze Tour event in Odisha, was forced to withdraw after her third attempt.
She opened with 6.05m, fouled her second jump, and managed 6.18m on her third before removing her shoes, acknowledging the crowd and walking off the competition area.
West Bengal's Moumita Mondal bagged the gold medal with a jump of 6.27m and Shaili's effort of 6.18m was enough to secure her the second place.