KOCHI: Long jumper Neena V Pinto can now breathe a sigh of relief as she finally confirmed her ticket to the 2018 Asian Games, clearing the confirmatory trials conducted by Athletics Federation of India (AFI) in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.Neena who missed the Asiad qualification mark by a centimetre at the 58th national inter-state senior championship in June was asked by AFI to take part in the trials before getting the go-ahead for Jakarta.Incessant rain ravaging Kerala had muddled up her training routine multiple times during the build-up to the event. It was no different during the trials as well. However, Neena scrapped through with a 6.38-metre leap and will now fly to Indonesia with a medal in sight.
“It was a tough challenge to perform in such conditions. The skies had cleared during my first two attempts, but it rained cats and dogs after that,” said the athlete from Kozhikode. “But I was able to clear it sooner rather than later,” said Neena who crossed the 6.34m mark qualification with her fourth attempt.
“Neena is one of the most consistent performers for India in the long jump. Even in adverse conditions, she jumped 6.38m which isn’t bad at all,” said MA George, her long-term coach.
Meanwhile, Neena’s training partner Nayana James wasn’t as fortunate as she failed to succeed in the trials. The 22-year-old only leapt 6.24m and struggled throughout committing three fouls. “It was very bad weather which wasn’t all that ideal. With that amount of rain and draft, the athletes risked injuries as well,” said Bedros Bedrosian, India’s national coach.
Despite jumping 6.51m at the Federation Cup, Nayana’s fate will now be in the hands of the AFI selection committee. “It is not the end of the road for Nayana. The conditions have to be considered and a final decision will be taken soon after consultations with the committee,” said AFI secretary general CK Valson who oversaw the trials with technical committee chief Pazhaniya Pilla. Meanwhile, high jumper B Chethan cleared his fitness test by jumping 2.12m. The 25-year-old had previously met the qualification mark of 2.25m at the national championship.adwaidh@newindianexpress.com