The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai is all set to host the 53rd National Inter-State Senior Athletic Championship from Tuesday. Around 1,000 athletes will take part in the four-day event.
The games will be inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa. The championship boasts some of the biggest names in Indian athletics. All eyes will be champion discus-thrower Krishna Poonia and the long-distance runner Preeja Sreedharan. The likes of Kavita Raut, Tintu Luka, Renjith Maheshwari, would also like to prove their mettle at these games. Discus-thrower Vikas Gowda, who is barred from the games, will miss out on the opportunity to treat the local audience with his throws.
CK Valson, secretary, Athletic Federation of India, is optimistic about the successful hosting of the games. He said, “A new synthetic track has been laid all around the stadium, which will help the players.” Valson was also quick to point out the new floodlights which will be operational in the event. The Tamil Nadu government allocated a sum of `35 lakh for the renovation of this mega stadium.
The games will also serve as the qualifiers for Asian Athletics Championship in Pune and the World Championships in Moscow. “While some players will look to achieve a qualification, others will be keen to improve their present records,” said Renu Kohli, coach of the women’s team.