Mathura’s Chirag Chaudhary emerged the fastest qualifier for the boys U16 600m semifinal, clocking 1:24.59. Curiously, the three others to break the beam inside 1:25 – Akshay Dabre (Dehradun), Sayed Sabeer Sayed Suleman (Bangalore Urban) and Potharaboina Sandeep Kumar (Warangal Urban) – produced a fine finish after being drawn in the same heats.
For the U14, AFI introduces two sets of Triathlon events so that athletes could develop all-round skills. While 60m sprint and Standing Broad Jump were common to both groups, the athletes could choose between Shot Put and High Jump as their third choice. The two groups were called Triathlon A and Triathlon B respectively.
Thane’s Saif Farooq Chafekar claimed pride of place among the qualifiers for the boys U16 80m Hurdles semifinals with a time of 11.05 seconds. With five others finishing inside 12 seconds, the semifinals promise to produce some fireworks.
In the girls U16 80m hurdles, Mumbai Suburban’s Shaivi Rakesh Mehta and Satara’s Abhilasha Waghmare made the most of being drawn in the same heats and clocked the two fastest times with 13.18 seconds and 13.19 seconds respectively among the 40 entrants. East Godavari’s Pushyami Naga S Ganta was the only other competitor to dip in under 14 seconds.
Panipat’s Rudar topped the qualifiers for the boys U16 Discus Throw final with a best effort of 45.52m. Gautam Buddha Nagar’s Avinesh Talan (44.91m) and Gaya’s Priyanshu Sharma (44.61m) were the others who crossed the 44m mark. Salem’s Sanjay Kumar (43.24m) and Jaunpur’s Abhay Singh Patel (42.99) showed their potential to challenge the lead trio.
There was good news for Bihar when Siwan’s Alka Singh led the 16 qualifiers for the girls U16 Shot Put with a best effort of 12.32m.
AFI also conducted seminars on Anti-Doping, the adverse effect of over-training of young athletes and Safeguarding of Athletes from Harassment and Abuse in Sports (SAHAS). Senior Vice President Anju Bobby George and Indian Olympic Association Athletes’ Commission member Om Prakash Karahana were the facilitators for SAHAs, the first such initiative to educate athletes.
