Despite the scorching summer heat and sporadic showers, the Maharaja’s College Stadium in Kochi was abuzz with activity as athletes from all over the country gathered for day 2 of the 28th Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships.
This is only the second time that Kerala is hosting the event, the first being in 2021 at Kozhikode. Organised by the Kerala State Athletics Association under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India, the four-day event, which began on Monday, will see over 470 athletes compete in as many as 38 track and field events. Among the fray are Olympians and national record holders, including Jyoti Yarraji (quarter-mile hurdles), Gurindervir Singh (fastest man in India), Kishore Kumar Jena (javelin), Praveen Chitravel (triple-jump champion), among others.
A contingent of 27 athletes is representing Kerala at this year’s event. Though none of them finished on the podium on Day 1, Malayalis were indeed among the winners. Quartermilers Sneha K and Manu T S, and Mohammad Lazan (110m hurdles), who represented JSW, won bronze medals in their respective events.
No matter the result, the enthusiasm these youth had for sports was evident. And as the sun dipped on Tuesday, it was clear that the remainder of the event would be as scintillating as the days before, if not more.
The event is considered the selection trials for the Asian championships, to be held in South Korea next month.
