CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s track and field athletes received some good news on Friday as they were able to resume training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai ahead of the 60th National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Patiala.
Two days after The New Indian Express reported about the plight of athletes, who were unable to train at the Nehru Stadium and were fretting about how they will perform at the inter-state meet, the development came as a welcome relief for them.
Tamil Nadu Athletics Association (TNAA) secretary C Latha said that 31 athletes from the state will take part in the event in Patiala after 14 pulled out due to insufficient preparation.
“We had a total of 45 athletes in the list of participants that we had submitted, but only 31 will be taking part in the inter-state meet. We will announce the names on Saturday. The athletes who are going for the event have been given permission to train at Nehru Stadium,” Latha told The New Indian Express.
Long jumper R Swaminathan – who trained at Nehru Stadium on Friday evening – is one of the athletes who will be taking part in the Patiala meet. The 25-year-old is scheduled to board a flight for Chandigarh on June 23 and then travel by road to Patiala. “I am glad that I will at least get some preparation. More time would have been ideal of course, but this is better than having none at all,” he said.
The TN pole-vaulters, meanwhile, will be able to fit in three training sessions – as they train every alternate day – at the Nehru Stadium before the meet in Patiala.