Rohit Yadav sets under-18 national javelin record

Rohit Yadav of Uttar Pradesh stole the limelight with an under-18 national record throw of 81.75m in the boys preliminary round of the second Athletics Federation of India National Javelin Throw Open Championship here Monday. The 17-year-old from Jaunpur improved on the national record of the 79.29m for boys under-18 set by Mohammed Hadeesh Apia in September 2015.

Yadav had also recorded a throw of 79.83m in the SGFI National School Games in Nadiad, Gujarat, in February. The final will be held on Tuesday. Haryana women trio of Poonam Rani, Monica and Shilpa Rana swept the medals with efforts of 49.53m, 42.46m and 39.89m. Poonam Rani, the 24-year-old from Jhajjar, has a clutch of All-India Inter-University crowns and has thrown over 50m.

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With national javelin coach Uwe Hohn and biomechanics specialist Dr. Klaus Bartonietz keenly watching the proceedings, it seemed natural that the intensity of competition was high and that there was an eagerness to showcase raw talent.

Meanwhile, in the second AFI National 400m Open Championships in Lucknow, it was a teenager sprinter Vikrant Panchal (Haryana) who took the spotlight with a time of 48.06 seconds in the boys under-20 preliminary semifinals. It was the second time in the day that he breached the 49-second mark, having clocked 48.40 seconds in the preliminary heats.

Haryana's Pankaj Malik, 21, clocked the fastest time in the men's semifinals. His time of 48.54 seconds was better than the 48.97 clocked by M Ramachandran (Tamil Nadu), in the other semifinals heats.  Gujarat's Vishal Chaturbhai had set the pace in the preliminaries with a time of 48.66 seconds.