IOA looking to end factionalism in sports associations, says PT Usha

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 10

While the entire nation is curious to see infighting end among various state sports factions, former Indian sprinter PT Usha, having four Asian gold medals and seven silver medals to her credit and now heading the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), stressed that things could not be changed overnight.

Famously known as ‘Payyoli Express’, Usha on her capacity as head, IOA, admitted that parallel sports factions in various states was a matter of grave concern for the authorities. “Things cannot be changed in one minute, one month or sometimes even in a year. Having two associations of a single game in one state is a matter of concern, and the IOA is looking into it. We are working on solving this problem, so that players don’t get stuck in this politics,” she said, when specifically asked about politics over wrestling association elections.

The former sprinter is in city to witness the ongoing Indian Grand Prix (5) being organised by the Athletes Federation of India (AFI) here. “It’s a great opportunity for the region’s athletes. Such events are really encouraging. I remember having limited facilities during my young days, but athletes are now well prepared and well aware about their schedule. They have access to scholarships, various government schemes and also talent hunt programmes,” said the IOA head, who is visiting the city after March, 2019.

The former Indian track queen is also expecting better performance from the Indian contingent for the upcoming Asian Games, starting later this month. “The Indian contingent will surely bag all-time high medals this year. Our players are in great form, and very well prepared to grab the opportunity.”

She also encouraged the state associations to open more academies or tourneys at the grassroots level. “This has to be worked in the right direction. The state associations should develop a culture of conducting events at the grassroots level to introduce children to sports. We have to have such kind of approach for developing sports,” added Usha.

Sanjivani shines

Maharashtra’s Sanjivani Baburao Jadhav, bronze medal winner of the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, claimed first position in the women’s 10,000m event, during the Indian grand Prix (5) at the Sector 7 Sports Complex. She clocked 33 minutes and 27.44 seconds (33:27.44s) to claim the top spot. She was closely followed by Seema from Himachal Pradesh who claimed second position in 33:44.99s. Rajasthan’s Renu Sharma claimed third position with 53:09:16s.

Army’s Abhishek Pal, who had won a bronze medal in the 10,000m race during this year’s Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, topped the 500m event by clocking 14.24.32s. Delhi’s Anuj Mathur clocked 14.26.32s and Ravi Kumar clocked 14.37.75s and claimed second and third positions. Kishore Jena claimed first position with a throw of 82.53m in the javelin throw event, followed by Vikas Yadav (72.88m) and Harish Kumar (71.78m). In women’s long jump, Shweta Arvind Thakur (5.61m) and Rishika Mahagaonkar (5.28m) were the top performers. Jesse Sandesh (2.11m), Swadhin Majhi (2.10m) and Nikhil Das (1.95m) won the men’s high jump event. The 2023 Asian championship silver medallist, Abha Khatua won the shot-put event with a throw of 18.02m, followed by Kiran Baliyan (17.92m) and Manpreet Kaur (16.30m). Punjab’s Sukhpreet Singh, who won the gold medal in the boys’ triple jump event in the Junior Federation Cup, excelled here with a jump of 14.85m, followed by Swagat Behera (13.94m).

Jinson to defend title

The 2018 Jakarta Asian Games 1500m champion, Jinson Johnson posted his season’s best time of 3.39.32s in the 1,500m (race B) event, ahead of the Asian Games preparation here. Kerala’s 32-year-old Olympian on a comeback trail race said the IGP was good chance for him to test his skills. “The track is fast. The weather is good. I didn’t let the opportunity slip from my hand. I pushed hard in the last lap to dip below 3.40 seconds,” the Olympian said.

Johnson and Ajay Kumar Saroj will represent India at the Asian Games. Delhi’s 400m runner Amoj Jacob clocked 45.92 seconds. In the women 400m event, Tamil Nadu’s R Vithya Ramraj dominated the women’s quarter-mile. She posted a time of 52.40 seconds, a personal best. “I was mentally prepared to win the race. I’m happy to have achieved my goal,” Vithaya said. Asian 100m hurdles champion Jyothi Yarraji also tested her speed endurance in the 400m for the first time. She clocked 53.91 seconds to finish sixth in the race.

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#Indian Olympic Association IOA #PT Usha