BHUBANESWAR 07-Jun-2015 35
Srabani Nanda and Purnima Hembram made Odisha proud by bagging a bronze medal each in women`s 200m sprint and heptathlon events of the 21st Asian Athletic Championship, held at Wuhan in China from June 3 to 7.
A 47-member Indian squad, including four from Odisha, finished third with 13 medals, which included four gold, five silver and four bronze. In the previous edition of the championship at Pune, India had secured sixth position with a total of 17 medals. Host China topped the medals table with 41 medals (15+13+13), while Qatar finished second with 10 medals (7+2+1).
Srabani claimed the 200m bronze, clocking 23.54 secs. Employee of East Coast Railway, Srabani finished fifth in women’s 100m sprint with a timing of 11.48 secs. She was also the part of the Indian women’s 4x100m relay quartet that finished fourth.
A former trainee of Cuttack-based SAI Training Centre, Purnima logged 5511 points, 43 short of compatriot Liksy Joseph of Kerala, who claimed the silver. An employee of East Coast Railway, Purnima stood first in two of the seven-part heptathlon event. She finished on top in 100m hurdles (14.21 secs) and 200m sprint (25.27 secs). But for a dissappointing eighth place (10.34m) in shot put she would have claimed the silver medal.
In the remaining three, Purnima finished second in javelin (43.41m), fourth in 800m (2:15.35s), fifth in long jump (5.73m) and seventh in high jump (1.62m). This was Purnima`s the maiden medal in a senior international meet and her coach Sushant Roy said it would immensely boost her confidence.
