BHUBANESWAR: The National Inter-State Championships, the final selection for the upcoming Asian Games, saw top-class performances from the country’s elite athletes, led by shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and long jumper Murali Sreeshankar.
Despite the hot and humid conditions here, more than 70 athletes breached the qualifying marks of their respective events, which were set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the Asian Games.
It is now up to the AFI selection committee to pick the India athletics squad – it will take into account the performances of the events held earlier in the year, including the Federation Cup.
A country can send only two athletes per event and many events have seen more than two breaching the Asian Games qualifying mark.
The AFI had made it mandatory for all the athletes, except javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable, to take part in the championships if they are to be considered for the Asian Games.
Punjab’s Tajinderpal stole the show on the final day as he hurled the 7.260kg iron ball to 21.77m distance to better his previous Asian record of 21.10m. His top performance earned him tickets to the Asian Games and the World Championships. He was deservedly adjudged the best male athlete of the championships.
Sreeshankar of Kerala made a jump of 8.41m – 1cm shy of Jeswin Aldrin’s national record of 8.42m – in his first and only attempt in the qualifying round to make the World Championships cut.
Tamil Nadu won the overall crown while also topping the men’s points tally. Uttar Pradesh finished top in the women’s standings.