Athletes vie for top honours in track, field events

Thrilling contests and impressive performances by young athletes from across the state were witnessed on the second and penultimate day of the 100th Punjab State Junior and U-23 Athletics Meet, being organised by the Ludhiana District Athletics Association under the aegis of Punjab Athletics Association (PAA) at Guru Nanak Stadium, here on Saturday.

Track and field events in sprints, middle-distance races, relays, jumps and throws kept the spectators engaged and athletes motivated. Several promising youngsters delivered outstanding performances, underlining the bright future of athletics in the state.

MLA Ashok Prashar was the chief guest today. Satvir Singh Atwal, Raminder Singh Sangowal and Prem Singh, president, chairman and general secretary, respectively, PAA, were among the other prominent persons present on the occasion.

In the boys U-20 110m hurdles, Rajveer Singh from Amritsar claimed first place, followed by Sehajdeep Singh from Jalandhar in second, and Jaskaran Singh from Tarn Taran in third. In the boys U-16 javelin throw, Uttam Singh from Fazilka took the top spot, Tushar Dhaka from Jalandhar finished second, and Rishitveeer Singh from Rupnagar came in third. Devansh Jagga from Fazilka dominated the boys U-20 discus throw. In the boys U-16 80m hurdles, Ravinder Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib was first, Manjot Singh from Barnala came in second, and Shani from Fatehgarh Sahib secured third place. The boys U-18 high jump saw Harman Singh from Mansa leap to the top. In the boys U-20 3,000m steeplechase, Bikram Singh from Patiala claimed the first spot. Robin Singh Chahal from Jalandhar was victorious in the boys U-20 10,000m race walk. Gursher Singh from Amritsar won the boys U-20 decathlon.

In the girls U-14 categories, Tamanna from Muktsar won the 60m dash, with Dimple from Fazilka and Srishti from Sangrur finishing second and third, respectively. Dimple from Fazilka also triumphed in the long jump, followed by Pawanpreet Kaur from Farikdot in second and Tamanna from Muktsar in third. The girls U-14 Triathlon saw Jannat Dua from Jalandhar took the top spot. In the girls U-14 600m race, Adib Kaur from Ludhiana finished first. In the girls U-16 80m hurdles, Ishmeet Kaur from Muktsar came in first, followed by Jaskaranpreet Kaur from Fatehgarh Sahib and Jasmeen Kaur from Patiala. Gagandeep Kaur from Bathinda won the girls U-18 high jump, with Shukriya from Fazilka coming second. Amanat Kamboj from Fazilka dominated the girls U-18 discus throw. In the girls U-14 Javelin throw, Japjeet Kaur from Kapurthala claimed the top spot, Inderpreet Kaur from Patiala came second and Samreet Kaur from Muktsar finished third.