Chamba girl wins bronze, Gurindervir runs away with 100m gold

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

Chamba girl Seema has become the first track and field athlete from Himachal Pradesh after Asian Games medallist Suman Rawat to win a medal in any age group in an international competition.

The 17-year-old clocked 10 minutes, 5.27 seconds to claim the bronze medal in the 3,000m event at the Asian Youth Athletics Championship in Bangkok on Sunday. Choe il Gyong of North Korea won the gold (10:00.96s) and Doan Thu Hang of Vietnam won the silver medal (10:02.18).

Seema was neck-and-neck with Choe and Doan until the last 80 metres, but after that she could not keep up with them and had to settle for the bronze. “I could not catch up with the other athletes in the final sprint. A fellow competitor’s spikes hurt my leg during the race. Overall, I am happy with my timing,” said the Class 12 student of Government Senior Secondary Girls School, Dharamsala.

The 5ft 1in tall athlete’s timing is significantly slower than her record-setting effort of 9min, 56.25s at the Youth Nationals in Hyderabad. The national champion in the U-18 category said that it was a slow race where the athletes’ strategy was about ensuring a medal rather than setting a new record.

Gurindervir, sprint king

Jalandhar sprinter Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.77s to win the gold in the 100m dash. The 17-year-old from Patial village near Bhogpur town in Jalandhar had clocked 10.69s in the semifinals to create a new national record in the U-18 category. He had clocked 10.74s at the Youth Nationals  in Hyderabad.

Gurindervir’s effort is a rare feat for a Punjab athlete in an international competition as there are very few athletes from the state who have done well in the sprints. “I was feeling fresh till the semifinals so I could clock good timings. Later on, I got a bit tired and the hot weather also played its part. Probably that is why my timing dipped in the final. I am aiming to better my timing in the World Championships,” he said from Bangkok.

The Jalandhar athlete said he was feeling on the top of the world after winning the gold. “I was feeling very proud as a Sikh athlete, winning a 100m race in an international competition,” he added.

The emergence of a quality sprinter from the state has led an educational institute owner in Jalandhar to announce an award of Rs 1 lakh to the lad.

Coach Sarabjit Singh said: “It is heartening to see a Punjab athlete do well in the sprints as it has happened after a long time. I hope that Gurindervir’s achievement goads other athletes from the state to do well in international competitions.”

Damneet wins silver

Barnala athlete Damneet Singh has won a silver medal (70.29m) in the hammer throw event. The Batth Hammer Throw academy athlete was recently adjudged the best male athlete at the Youth Nationals in Hyderabad where the 17-year-old had sent the ball and chain to a distance of 72.75m. He is currently ranked second in the Asian youth list. Haryana’s Nitesh Poonia won the bronze with a distance of 69.76m.

Haryana boys shine 

Haryana discus thrower Abhay Gupta won the gold medal with a throw of 56.47m, outclassing Iranian Sajjad Hassen's record of 53.06m (2015) while Sahil Silwal bagged the silver (54.58m). In the boys’ 10,000m event, Sanjay Kumar won the title clocking 45:30.39s

At the end of Day Three, India with 11 medals (4 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze), is placed third in the medals tally. China leads the tally with 25 medals followed by Chinese Taipei (10).