Haryana trio sweeps medals, Rohit sets U-18 national record

Sonipat, April 15 

The Haryana trio of Poonam Rani, Monica and Shilpa Rana swept the medals in the women’s event in the second AFI National Javelin Throw Open Championship here today.

Poonam won the gold with a best effort of 49.53 metres. The 24-year-old from Jhajjar has a clutch of All-India Inter-University crowns and has thrown over 50 metres.

Monica’s best was 42.46m, while Shilpa finished third with a throw of 39.89m.

With national javelin coach Uwe Hohn and biomechanics specialist Klaus Bartonietz keenly watching the proceedings, it seemed natural that the intensity of the competition was high and that there was an eagerness to showcase raw talent.

Rohit Yadav of Uttar Pradesh stole the limelight with an under-18 national record throw of 81.75m in the boys’ preliminary round. The 17-year-old from Jaunpur improved on the national record of 79.29m set by Mohammed Hadeesh Apia in September 2015. 

Yadav had also recorded a throw of 79.83m in the SGFI National School Games in Nadiad, Gujarat, in February. The final will be held tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in the second AFI National 400m Open Championships in Lucknow, Haryana teenager Vikrant Panchal stood out with a time of 48.06 seconds in the boys’ under-20 preliminary semifinals. It was the second time in the day that he breached the 49-second mark, having clocked 48.40 seconds in the preliminary heats.

Haryana’s Pankaj Malik, 21, clocked the fastest time (48.54 seconds) in the men’s semifinals. M Ramachandran (48.97s) of Tamil Nadu was the second fastest.  

Gujarat’s Vishal Chaturbhai had set the pace in the preliminaries with a time of 48.66 seconds. — PTI