BHUBANESWAR 31-Oct-2012 386
Odisha’s Dutee Chand emerged the best athlete in the girls-18 group, bagging the 100 and 200 metre gold with new meet records in both the events of the 28th National Junior Athletics Championship, which concluded at Lucknow (UP) today. But the medals went to Jharkahnd as Dutee represented the neighbouring state as trainee of the Jamshedpur-based Tata Athletics Academy.
She clocked 24.31 seconds in the 200m to erase the previous record of 24.49 seconds, set by Odisha’s Ranjita Mahanta on April 25, 2010. In the 100m sprint, Dutee clocked 11.97 seconds to break the previous record of 12.00s by Chitra K Soman of Kerala.
A 16-member squad that represented Odisha in the five-day championship secured five medals, which included two silver and three bronze. Sekunta Kullu of Bhubaneswar Sports Hostel won a silver in girls-16 long jump with a leap of 5.63 metres. The second silver was claimed by Madhuchhanda Mishra of Cuttack, who finished second in girls-14 triathlon.
Javelin thrower Damayanti Murmu opened the medal count for Odisha by bagging a bronze on the opening day. An inmate of Government Sports Hostel here, Damayanti secured the bronze in girls-18 age group, hurling the spear to a distance of 39.46 metres. Rajeswari Bhoi bagged a bronze medal in girls-18 heptathlon event on the penultimate day. Bhoi, a trainee of SAI SAG Centre in Sundargard, finished third in the event, logging 3921 points. This was the fifth medal for Odisha in the five-day championship. The earlier four medals include two silver and two bronze.
Tribal runner Ramachandra Hansda fetched a bronze medal for Odisha by finishing third in boys-14 in 600 metre event on the third day. An inmate of Government Sports Hostel, Baripada (Mayurbhanj), Hansda clocked one minute 25.50 seconds. All three medal winners erased the meet record of 1:26.60. This was the fourth medal for Odisha, which bagged two silver and one bronze in the first two days of the five-day championship.
ODISHA SQUAD: Jeetendra Biswal, Ashman Sahu (both Bargarh); Chinmaya Ranjan Jena, Sekunta Kullu, Latika Basra, Damayanti Murmu, Susma Toppo (all Bhubaneswar); Madhuchhanda Mishra, Sasmita Sethi (both Cuttack); Rama Chandra Hansda (Mayurbhanj); Jambeswar Panda (Puri); Suresh Lakra (Rourkela); Carmela Barla, B Saini Ambika, Rajeswari Bhoi, Bonita Lakra (all Sundargarh).
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PHOTO: Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand
