Sprinter Nipam wins 100m bronze in Hong Kong
HONG KONG, May 28: Nipam capped a memorable international debut to clinch the 100m bronze medal on the opening day of the U20 Asian Athletics Championships here on Thursday.The 18-year-old national record holder in the U20 women’s 100m was slow off the blocks but regained lost ground to win the bronze medal with a timing of 11.62 seconds.The sprinter from Uttar Pradesh has a personal best (also national U-20 record) of 11.53 seconds, clocked during a domestic meet in April.“I’m excited to have won a bronze medal for the team,” a jubilant Nipam said.Nipam is also a member of the national 4x100m relay team and was confident of winning another medal in the four-day continental meet.Qatar’s 16-year-old Dana Noor Salem had a good start and eventually won the gold medal with a time of 11.47 seconds. China’s Xinxuan Chen, 16, took home the silver with a time of 11.54 seconds.India’s Vikas Kumar missed out on a medal as he finished fourth in the men’s 3,000m race.He clocked 8:24.88, a personal best.In the women’s 400m heats, India’s Neeru Pathak was a comfortable winner with a time of 54.42 seconds.Tahura Khatun finished second in her heat with a time of 55.06 seconds.Both athletes have qualified for the final.However, it wasn’t Mohammed Ashfaq’s day.The athlete from Kerala finished fifth in the men’s 400m semis with a time of 47.06 seconds and did not progress to the final.In the men’s hammer throw, India’s Ashuvendra Pratap Singh (64.34m) and Aman (63.40m) finished seventh and eighth respectively.India have a bright chance of winning a medal in the decathlon.Rahul Jakhar was impressive on Day-one of the gruelling ten-event competition spread over two days.In the 100m, Rahul Jakhar clocked 10.70 seconds to earn 929 points before collecting 760 points with a leap of 6.77m in the long jump. He then registered a best throw of 13.04m in the shot put to earn 670 points, followed by a 1.93m effort in the high jump that added 740 points to his tally.In the last event of the day, the 400m, he clocked 50.25 seconds to secure another 803 points.The four-day 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships will conclude on Sunday. (PTI)
NMPA Indian Open of Surfing to begin today
MANGALORE, May 28: The seventh edition of the NMPA Indian Open of Surfing will begin here on Friday with over 80 surfers from six states competing in an event that carries added significance ahead of the sport’s debut at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this year.With the event expected to serve as the final major domestic evaluation event ahead of the Asian Games, leading Indian surfers including Ramesh Budihal, Shivaraj Babu, Kishore Kumar, Srikanth D, Kamali P, and Sugar Shanti Banarse will headline the competition.Surfers from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Goa are expected to compete in the three-day championship across the Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Under-18 Boys, Under-18 Girls, Under-14 Boys and Under-14 Girls categories at the Tannirbhavi Eco Beach.Organised by the Mantra Surf Club and Surfing Swami Foundation under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India, the championships will also serve as the second stop of the National Championship Series following the inaugural Little Andaman Pro held earlier this season.Among the leading names is Budihal, who recently became the first Indian surfer to reach the Open Men’s final at the Asian Surfing Championships in Mahabalipuram before clinching a bronze medal.Shivaraj, winner of the Men’s Open title at the Little Andaman Pro earlier this year, along with Kishore and Srikanth, are expected to be among the key contenders in the men’s competition.The women’s field will feature prominent names such as Kamali P and Goa’s Sugar Shanti Banarse, both of whom have consistently impressed on the national circuit in recent years. (PTI)
