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Neelam Singh qualifies for Olympics

Discus thrower Neelam J Singh became was the athlete to qualify today for the Sydney Olympics with a heave of 61.37 metres on a day when soggy conditions troubled everyone in the domestic (first leg) athletic championship at the Anna stadium in Nagercoil this evening.

In the process,she eclipsed her own record of 60.28 metres, set at Thiruvananthapuram in August last year in the Federation Cup.

She now joins Shakti Singh, Beenamol, Rachita Mistry and the men's and women's 400 metre relay squads, who have already set the standard mark for the Olympics.

Neelam, who landed here from Kiev in Ukraine to Delhi and then arrived here just 15 minutes before the event, achieved the feat in her first attempt.

In the only other record to fall today, Manipuri girl Jebeswari Devi threw the hammer to a distance of 57.86 metres, in her first attempt, surpassing her earlier mark of of 56.56 metres, set at Hissar on March 3 in the third international circuit meet. Heavy cross winds thwarted her attempts to better that.

Sakthi Singh of Railways scored a double, winning golds in shot put and discus.

According to S M Banerjee, vice-president, Amateur Athletic Federation of India, who is here as an observer, Devi's effort would be considered as a national mark, though it was set in a mixed competition alongside the men's event.