BHUBANESWAR 20-May-2013 424
Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand clinched a golden double to emerge the best girl athlete in the 10th National Youth Athletics Championship, which concluded at Brahmananda Reddy Stadium in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) today.
Seventeen-year-old Dutee completed the double by claiming the yellow metal in 200 metre sprint with a timing of 24.53 seconds. She once again missed the opportunity to better her own meet record (24.49 secs) in the event by 0.04 seconds.
Earlier on the opening day of the three-day championship, Dutee lived up to her reputation as the fastest girl sprinter of the country by comfortably winning the 100 meter gold, clocking 11.85 seconds.
Odisha finished 1-3 in the event with Sekunta Kullu bagging broze with a timing of 12.60 secs.
Dutee was hoping to better her National-record timing of 11.80 secs, which she had achieved last year at Bangalore, but missed it narrowly due to clay track and very hot weather condition.
However, by achieveing the sprint double Dutee confirmed her participation in the World Youth Championships to be held in Donetsk (Ukraine) in July and Asian Youth Games at Nanjing (China) thereafter. She had achieved the qualifying standards with her performances of 11.93 secs in 100m and 24.28 secs in 200m during the National junior championships at Lucknow last year in October.
A six-member Odisha squad bagged a total of eight medals, which included two gold, two silver and four bronze. Dutee Chand also helped Odisha win the silver medal in girls’ medley relay event. Sekunta Kullu, Latika Basra and Susma Toppo were other three members of the Odisha relay team.
Damayanti Murmu won the other a silver medal for Odisha, finishing second in girls` javelin event on the second day. A trainee of Bhubaneswar-based State Sports Hostel, Damayanti hurled the javelin to a distance of 39.74 metres.
Among other Odisha athletes, Latika Basra, Susma Toppo and Rajeswari Bhoi secured a bronze each on the concluding day. Basra, a trainee of Bhubaneswar-based Government Sports Hostel, took the bronze girls` triple jump, covering a distance of 11.18 metres.
Toppo, also from Bhubaneswar Sports Hostel, finished third in girls` 400 metre hurdles, clocking one minute 10.13 seconds. Bhoi, who belongs to Sundargard-based SAI SAG Center, pocked the bronze in heptathlon with 4062 points.
Kerala emerged overall champions with 155 points, while Haryana ended runners-up with 154 points. Odisha secured eighth position with 46 points.
Delhi shot-putter Shakti Solanki was adjudged best athlete in boys` category. He and Dutee Chand received 10-gram gold medals for their efforts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Members of the silver winning Odisha medley relay team (L to R) _ Sekunta Kullu, Latika Basra, Dutee Chand and Susma Toppo _ in Guntur on May 20, 2013.
