CHENNAI: As the evening settled down, the temperature dipped a bit but the humidity was pretty high. Every now and then the sea breeze would bring in comfort but for one man in the stands, nothing could have calmed him. He seemed more tense than the athletes in the middle.
S Murali is not just long jump exponent M Sreeshankar's coach but also his father. He knew what challenges his ward had to endure in the last 650 days before starting to compete again last month. Sreeshankar seemed relaxed but after each jump he seemed fidgety and at times, not even looking at the electronic board that displayed his jumps. They both knew that the event — National Inter-state Senior Athletics Championships — Sreeshankar was taking a shot at was his last chance to seal a ticket at the World Athletics Championships, which is slated to be held next month in Tokyo.
The two had endured some challenging times not so long ago with Sreeshankar taking the longest break of his career so far due to injury and rehab. When the Kerala athlete returned to competitive action in Pune last month, he had crossed the 8-metre mark and on Sunday, he managed 8.06m.
The day's effort earned him a gold medal but the winning jump was not enough to match the Worlds qualification mark of 8.27m. Going by his recovery path, it was always going to be a daunting task for him. Yet, he never gave up. Competing in five competitions in just over a month was always going to be a mountain to climb. "We knew the time was short but we had to give it our best shot," said Murali.
Sreeshankar too echoed the same sentiments but said this would be the end of the season since he will most likely miss the Tokyo flight. Murali felt maybe they should not have gone abroad for competitions. "There was not much competition either because others were having their national championships," he said.
After the aforementioned injury issue, Sreeshankar began proper training only in April. "We had some eight months of rehabilitation in the Inspire Institute of Sport, Bellary last year and then shifted to National Centre of Excellence, Trivandrum in January," he said.
Despite being in a position of disadvantage, Sreeshankar never lost hope. "At this time last year, I did not know if I could be jumping and now I am competing," he said. With the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year and the LA28 in less than years' time, he will now turn his focus on these major events.
Meanwhile, Rohit Yadav was also on the winning side as he pipped Sachin Yadav for gold in the men's javelin throw final. Rohit recorded a best throw of 83.65 metres, which is his personal best, to claim the top prize. After throwing from a higher angle in his initial attempts, Rohit tweaked to make a flatter release of the javelin. That change paid dividends. "After the first two throws, which were a little high, my coaches ( Sergey Makarov and Parveer Singh) told me to go flat, and that has got me my personal best," he told reporters.
But Rohit rued missing out on the Worlds qualification mark of 85 metres. "I had the capacity today (Sunday), but I could not (pull it off)," he said.
The final turned out to be a thrilling affair as the throwers kept re-raising the bar until Rohit sealed the deal with his impressive effort. Sachin finished with a best effort of 83.20m. Sachin later revealed that he was unwell. "I came in with a little fever. I can still feel it,” he said. Ranked 22 in the world rankings, Sachin has a good chance of making Worlds cut. A clearer picture of his qualification will be known after August 27, when the final list of eligible athletes via world rankings will be released. No one managed to make the Tokyo Worlds in this meet through the direct qualification mark.
As the curtains for the meet was drawn, hosts Tamil Nadu, with a tally of 195 points, were awarded the overall title. Tamil Nadu also won the team championships in both the men's and women's categories.
National Record holder in 400m,Vishal TK, was declared the best athlete in the men's individual section while steeplechaser Ankita Dhyani took home the women's individual award.
Results (winners): Men: Javelin throw: Rohit Yadav (UP) 83.65m; Long jump: Sreeshankar M (KL): 8.06m; 3000m Steeplechase: Balakishan (HR) 8:51.17s; 4x400m relay: Tamil Nadu: 3:07.53s. Women: 10000m: Ravina Gayakwad: 35:09.57s; High jump: Gobika K (TN) 1.80m; Heptathlon: Anamika KA (KL) 5466 points; 3000m SC: Ankita Dhyani: 9:44.83s; 4x400m: Karnataka: 3.38.29s.
