In March this 12 months, Haryana’s Himanshi Malik clocked a formidable 52.99s whereas successful the ladies’s 400m gold on the National inter-university athletics championships in Chennai. It was the second quickest time in Asia then.
Three months later, she clocked a beautiful 51.76s to complete second behind Anjali Devi on the Inter-State Nationals in Bhubaneswar. Incidentally, Anjali failed a dope take a look at taken on the meet.
Himanshi’s beautiful run was one of many breakthrough performances in Indian athletics this 12 months and it carried her to the Asian Games in China in September the place she clocked a poor 57.82s within the heats.
The National varsities ladies’s championships, organised by the KIIT-deemed to be college, are presently on in Bhubaneswar and with the variety of heats in some monitor occasions crossing 30, life has change into powerful for athletes. And with the North, East and West zone males’s championships being held concurrently on the similar venue, the schedules have gone for a toss.
“Events are delayed by many hours and on the opening day, the events ran till 2.30 a.m.,” mentioned a seasoned coach from Bhubaneswar.
Binu George Varghese, the Mahatma Gandhi University’s director of bodily training in Kottayam, feels there may be an pressing want to repair qualification requirements within the varsities Nationals to convey down the variety of athletes.
“That’s a good idea. But earlier, they had only the all-India meet now we have introduced zonal events (in the men’s section) as a sort of filter,” mentioned Baljit Singh Sekhon, joint secretary-sports on the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
“The zonals’ top athletes qualify for the all-India meet. That will also bring down the logistical problems for organisers with the number of athletes coming down. We will see how effective this is and then think about qualification standards at the zonal-level or national-level.”
Surprises
Every 12 months, the varsities Nationals throw up large surprises.
This time, regardless of the ladies’s varsities Nationals coming on the finish of the season, Chandigarh University’s Rashdeep Kaur from Punjab — who ran within the World University Games in China in August — produced a private finest 54.21s (earlier finest 55.05s) whereas successful the 400m gold.
There isn’t any dope-testing on the varsities Nationals and there may be a feeling amongst many who these performances are usually not real.
“It is important to have dope-testing at the varsities Nationals,” mentioned Binu George.
With javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra successful gold on the Olympics and Worlds, Indian athletics is on a good excessive now. And Indian athletes, like dash hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, have performed effectively on the World University Games too.
The AIU shouldn’t be an affiliated physique of the Athletics Federation of India. And the AFI doesn’t take into account the performances in Indian college meets as there isn’t a dope testing there. It is now time for the AIU to make use of the AFI’s experience in organising National meets to take the game forward.
