Triple-jumper and Commonwealth gold medallist MA Prajusha’s first attempt of 13.26m assured herself of gold, and subsequent jumps saw her register a fine series of 13.55, 13.66, 13.53 and 13.45m to steal the show on the concluding day of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships at GMC Balayogi Staidum in Gachibowli here on Tuesday evening.
In the process Prajusha bagged her second gold of the meet. However she barely missed to better the meet mark of 13.68m standing in her state-mate Mayookha Johny’s name since 2010.
Kerala retained the overall title with a whooping 192 points, as the runners-up Uttar Pradesh finished a distant second in 82 points. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal took the second spot in the team championships for men and women respectively. Shraddha Ghule from Maharashtra, the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games champion, took the silver medal with a 13.18m jump while Amitha Baby of Kerala took bronze in 12.72m.
Other athletes who defended their titles from last year include Kheta Ram (Rajasthan) in 10000m in the men’s division, MM Anchu (Kerala) in 100m hurdles, Harwant Kaur (Punjab) in discus throw and Sushmita Singha Roy (Bengal) in heptathlon in the women’s section.
Harwant, the Commonwealth silver medallist at Delhi-2010, could manage only 55.92m in the discus throw and hence could not join her teammates Krishna Poonia and Seema Antil in the London-bound squad.
Rajasthan’s Shakti Singh recorded a personal best of 18.25m to take the men’s shot put gold while distance runner Kheta Ram brought another for the state in the 10,000m clocking 29:49.71.
Jharkhand hurdler A Suresh timed a career-best 13.96 secs to win the men’s 110m hurdles from much fancied Tamil Nadu stars T Balamurugan (14.18) and K Premkumar (14.62). Metric miler Jhuma Khatun, who also represented Jharkhand, engaged in a keen tussle with Kerala girl SR Bindu in the women’s 1500m to take the title in a thrilling sprint finish on the home stretch clocking 4:28.31 to Bindu’s 4:28.53. Similarly the men’s race also witnessed a major contest between Asian Indoor Games champion Chatholi Hamza (Kerala) and Haryana runner Sandeep which the latter won in 3:43.76. Hamza clocked 3:45.67 for 2nd place.
Delhi sprinter Nitin overpowered Tamil Nadu’s Manikanda Arumugam in the men’s 200m (21.44 secs) while in the women’s event, Haryana athlete Manisha dashed Satti Geetha’s hopes of a sprint double. Manisha won in 24.26s. Punjab’s intermediate hurdler Satinder Singh and Kerala half-miler Tintu Luka were adjudged as best male and female athletes of the championships.
Men: 200m: 1. Nithin (Delhi) 21.44s, 2. A Manikanda (TN), 3. Ritesh Anand (Jhar). 1500m: 1. Sandeep (Har), 2. C Hamza (Ker), 3. Pranjal Gogai (Asm). 10,000m: 1. Kheta Ram (Raj) 29mts 49.71s, 2. Suresh Kumar Patel (UP), 3. VL Dangi (Raj). 110m hurdles: 1. A Suresh (Jhar) 13.96s, 2. Balamurugan (TN), 3. Prem Kumar (TN). Shot put: 1. Shakti Singh (Raj) 18.25m, 2. Satyendra (UP), 3. Jagroop Singh (Pun).4x400m: 1. Kerala ‘A’, 3:18.84s, 2. MP, 3. AP. Women: 200m: 1. Manisha (Har) 24.26s, 2. Satti Geetha (AP), 3. Merlin K Joseph (Ker). 1500m: 1. Jhuma Khatoon (Jhar) 4:28.31s, 2. Bindu (Ker), 3. Fulan Khatun (Ben). 10,000m: 1. Monika Motiram Ahtre (Mah) 37:57.09s, 2. Manisha Salunke (Mah), 3. Archana Pal (UP). 100m hurdles: 1. MM Anchu (Ker) 14s, 2. Purnima Hembram (Odisha), 3. Meghana Shetty (Kar). Triple jump: 1. MA Prajusha (Ker) 13.66m, 2. Shraddha Ghule (Maha), 3. Amitha Baby (Ker). Discus throw: 1. Harwant Kaur (Pun) 5.92m, 2. Praveen Kumari (Raj), 3. Santosh (Har). 4x400m: 1. Kerala ‘A’ 3:45.06s, 2. Bengal, 3. AP. Heptathlon: 1.Sushmita Singha Roy (Ben) 5,651 pts, 2. Liksy Joseph (Ker), 3. Niksy Joseph (Ker).