BHUBANESWAR 26-Jun-2016
Ace women sprinter Srabani Nanda made it a double delight for Odisha as she followed her statemate Dutee Chand to the Rio Olympic Games by clearing the qualifying mark in 200m event at the 26th G Kosanov Memorial Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan today.
Srabani, who won gold in women’s 200m race in the South Asian Games and Federation Cup earlier this year, clocked 23.07secs to better the Olympics qualifying mark of 23.20 secs. Earlier yesterday, Dutee Chand qualified for the Rio Games in 100m sprint, clocking 11.30 secs.
With the addition of Srabani, the number of track and field athletes who have qualified for Rio Olympics, swelled to 23. Athletics is set to contribute the second biggest number of members in India’s Rio Olympics contingent after hockey which will have 36 players (18 each for men’s and women’s team).
Srabani’s historic achievement fetched her a total cash award of Rs 3 lakh, the same amount that came for Dutee. Odisha Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera and State Sports and Youth Services Minister Sudam Marandi announced Rs 1 lakh each, while Odisha Olympic Association and Odisha Athletic Association declared Rs 50,000 each.
