AFI Media
Chandigarh
The newly laid synthetic track at Chandigarh’s Sector 7 Sports Complex will play host to the third edition of National Open U23 Athletics Championships starting Friday.
In mid-September, Chandigarh conducted the fifth leg of the Indian Grand Prix, which was primarily for the Asian Games bound athletes to test their fitness.
The National Open U23 Athletics has attracted as many as 942 athletes, majority of them from Uttar Pradesh as per the entries. The three-day competition that will conclude Sunday.
As many as seven finals are scheduled for the opening day, including men and women’s 10,000m. Medals will also be decided in triple jump (men and women); women’s hammer throw and shot put on the first day of the domestic meet.
Promising quarter-milers from across the country will also be in action in the preliminary round on Friday. The men’s 100m dash has attracted as many as 72 entries. The biggest draw is from Uttar Pradesh having 21 sprinters in fray. Delhi will field 10, while five each from Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The neighbouring Punjab will field three sprinters and host Chandigarh has one. Odisha’s promising 100m sprinter Lalu Prasad Bhoi has also confined his entry.
In the women’s 100m dash, there is average participation from Southern states. Andhra Pradesh has two, while Kerala and Karnataka will field one each. Haryana has four female sprinters in 100m. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will field four each.
According to the entries 70 sprinters will be in action in the men’s 200m preliminary round. Of the 70 athletes in fray, nearly 25 percent (19) are from Uttar Pradesh. Five will represent Tamil Nadu, four from Karnataka and two from Kerala. Telangana has one sprinter.
As per the entries, 71 athletes will be in action in the men’s 400m. Uttar Pradesh (17), Rajasthan (9), Haryana (8) and Madhya Pradesh (5) are the four main states whose athletes are expected to contest for medals in the 400m.
In the women’s 400m, 19 athletes will be in action, five of them from Punjab.
The middle-distance events (men’s 800m and 1500m) too have attracted a big number of athletes from Uttar Pradesh. As per entries Uttar Pradesh has 13 athletes and Haryana has 12 in the 800m. Rajasthan and Punjab have seven and five, respectively.
The men’s javelin throw will witness 16 throwers from Uttar Pradesh in action. While seven will represent Haryana. Of the 51 entries, six each from Rajasthan and Delhi. But none from Odisha.
The men’s 10,000m will witness 23 athletes contesting for medals, eight of them will be from Uttar Pradesh.
