Indian athletics witnessed a spectacular day as Tanya Chaudhary broke the women's hammer throw national record and Avinash Sable made a triumphant return in the 3000m steeplechase, setting a strong precedent for their Asian Games campaigns.
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Key Points
- Tanya Chaudhary set a new women's hammer throw national record of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final.
- Avinash Sable won the men's 3000m steeplechase in his first race in the event in over a year, clocking 8:32.39.
- Both Chaudhary and Sable are confirmed members of the Indian athletics team for the upcoming Asian Games.
- The Athletics Federation of India introduced a total prize fund of Rs 65 lakh, with winners in each of the 30 events receiving Rs 1 lakh.
- Chaudhary's record-breaking performance comes after overcoming multiple injuries, while Sable is training for both 3000m steeplechase and 5000m for the Asian Games.
Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women's hammer throw national record to take the unexpected spotlight while Avinash Sable registered an emphatic win in his first 3000m steeplechase race in more than a year at the Indian Athletics Series Final. The 22-year-old Tanya, representing Uttar Pradesh, sent the chain and iron to a distance of 68.35m, bettering state-mate Anushka Yadav's earlier national record of 67.02m set in June. Anushka finished second with 66.34m. Both Tanya and Anushka are in the Asian Games team.
Sable's Strong Comeback And Asian Games Ambitions
Star steeplechaser Sable, representing Maharashtra, won the men's 3000m steeplechase race in a time of 8 minute 32.39 seconds in his first race in the distance in more than a year. Sable, 31, has run just one race -- a 5000m race in Belgium in August -- this season after undergoing an ACL surgery last year. He won a gold in 3000m steeplechase and a silver in 5000m in the last Asian Games. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has also requested the organisers to accept Sable's entry in 5000m also, though his participation in 3000m steeplechase is confirmed. "I have been training for both 3000m steeplechase and 5000m. I am hoping to run in both in Asian Games," Sable said.
Chaudhary's Journey To National Record
Both Tanya and Sable pocketed the winner's prize of Rs 1 lakh each. The national federation has made one-day meet lucrative by introducing a total prize fund of Rs 65 lakh. The winner in each of the 30 events pocketed Rs one lakh each. Tanya said she has been chasing the national record for the past three years. "My previous personal best is 63.91m. I have done 65m-plus two-three times (at the inter-university level) but those were not official. Now, I am able to do it (break national record). It is a new beginning," she said. "Normally, I used to be nervous. But, I was focused on my technique today." Tanya trains along with Anushka at the same ground at Bhagpat in Uttar Pradesh under different coaches. "We both are from the same ground. So, there is healthy competition between us. So, it is good for both of us to move forward." She could not breach the Asian Games qualifying mark but made it to the team for the mega event in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan. "It was because of injury. Now I feel I will do better. I had multiple injuries at same time, one hamstring, second a stress injury in femur bone. The injuries were going on since January." Meanwhile, it has been learnt that there could be further changes in the 77-member Indian athletics team for the Asian Games.
Key Results From The Indian Athletics Series Final
Results: Men: 100m: Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.21 seconds, Gurindervir Singh (Punjab) 10.32 seconds, Rushiprasad Desai (Maharashtra) 10.33 seconds. 200m: Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 20.59 secs, Jishnu Prasad (Kerala) 20.63 secs, Abhay Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 21.04 secs. 400m: Vishal TK (Tamil Nadu) 45.36 seconds, Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 45.50 seconds, Manu TS (Kerala) 45.68 seconds. 800m: Mohammed Afsal (Kerala) 1:46.40 secs, Prakash Gadade (Maharashtra) 1:46.56 secs, Krishan Kumar (Haryana) 1:46.73 secs. 1500m: Rahul Baloda (Rajasthan) 3:39.89 secs, Yoonus Shah (Uttar Pradesh) 3:40.37 secs, Sunil Dawar (Madhya Pradesh) 3:43.68 secs. 110m hurdles: Krishik M (Karnataka) 13.65 secs, Muhammed Lazan (Kerala) 13.84 secs, Manav R (Tamil Nadu) 13.85 secs. 400m hurdles: Santhosh Kumar (Tamil Nadu) 50.08 secs, Ruchit Mori (Gujarat) 50.61 secs, Subhas Das (West Bengal) 50.73 secs. 3,000m steeplechase: Avinash Sable (Maharashtra) 3:32.39. Shubham Bhandare (Maharashtra) 8:50.31, Vikash Dalal (Haryana) 8:50.43. Shot put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Punjab) 20.64m, Samardeep Singh Gill (Madhya Pradesh) 19.59m, Karanveer Singh (Punjab) 19.51m. Hammer throw: Nirbhay Choudhary (Delhi) 71.02m (NR, previous best 70.73m), Damneet Singh (Punjab) 68.12m, Ashish Jakhar (Haryana) 67.51m. Javelin throw: Rohit Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 81.10m, Manoj Kumar (Tamil Nadu) 80.73m, Yashvir Singh (Rajasthan) 80.40m. Pole vault: Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.40m, Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.30m, Ramratan (Rajasthan) 5.10m. High jump: Aadarsh Ram (Tamil Nadu) 2.18m, Aaditya R (Madhya Pradesh) 2.15m, Basant (Rajasthan) 2.15m. Long jump: Mohd Atta Sazid (Haryana) 8.01m, Arya S (Karnataka)7.90m, Sarun Payasingh (Odisha) 7.61m. Triple jump: Karthik Unnikrishnan (Kerala) 16.43m, Gailey Venister (Tamil Nadu) 16.04m, Vishal Bahadur (Jharkhand) 15.85m. Women: 100m: Harita Bhadra (Maharashtra) 11.22 seconds, Abinaya Rajarajan (Tamil Nadu) 11.31 seconds, Giridhrani R (Tamil Nadu) 11.35 seconds. 400m: Aishwarya Mishra (Maharashtra) 52.51 secs, Prachi (Uttar Pradesh) 52.75 secs, Poovamma MR (Karnataka) 52.76 secs. 800m: Lili Das (Uttarakhand) 2:03.41 secs, Pooja (Haryana) 2:04.02 secs, Gowthami J (Tamil Nadu) 2:05.63 secs. 1500m: Thota Sankeertana (Chhattisgarh) 4:37.95, Nikita Sharma (Himachal Pradesh) 4:38.62 secs, Pragati (Haryana) 4:39.88 secs. 100m hurdles: Nandhini Kongan (Tamil Nadu) 13.30 seconds, Anjali C (Kerala) 13.33 secs, Pragyan Prashanti (Odisha) 13.37 secs. 400m hurdles: Anu Raghavan (Kerala) 57.23 secs, Sinchal Kaveramma (Karnataka) 59.91 secs, Tanu Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 1:01.47 secs. 3,000m steeplechase: Praul Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 9:22.49, Prachi Devkar (Maharashtra) 10:28.35, Susmita Tigga (Odisha) 10:33.94. Pole vault: Nitika (Madhya Pradesh) 4.10m, Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m, Karthika V (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m. High jump: Pooja Singh (Haryana) 1.81m, Reet Rathor (Uttar Pradesh) 1.81m, Supriya SB (Karnataka) 1.78m. Triple jump: Lasha Ilango (Tamil Nadu) 13.76m, Niharika Vashisht (Punjab) 13.24m, Bhairabi Roy (West Bengal) 13.06m. Long jump: Ancy Sojan (Kerala) 6.76m, Shaili Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 6.65m, Bhavani Yadav (Andhra Pradesh) 6.42m. Hammer throw: Tanya Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 68.35m (NR, previous best 65.25m), Anushka Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 66.34m, Kulvinder Kaur (Rajasthan) 59.13m.
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