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Tejas Shirse clinched the 110m hurdles gold and has virtually secured Asian Games spot.
Tejas Shirse clocked 13.61 seconds. (Picture Credit: IG/rfyouthsports)
Tejas Shirse has virtually secured a place for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan after comfortably winning the men’s 110m hurdles title on the third day of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Representing Maharashtra, the 24-year-old clocked 13.61 seconds to take gold, easing up before the finish and raising his hand in celebration. The effort was comfortably inside the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualifying standard of 13.63 seconds for the Asian Games.
Shirse enters the meet in top form, having set the national record of 13.27 seconds at the Indian Athletics series in Ludhiana just days ago. He has also been named in India’s 32-member athletics squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Tamil Nadu’s Manav R finished second in 13.66 seconds, while Karnataka’s Krishik M claimed bronze with 13.69 seconds.
The hurdles final was interrupted by three false starts and one disqualification, with Rajasthan’s Madhvendra Sekhawat being ruled out. Shirse attributed the disruptions to the rain that fell over Bhubaneswar earlier in the day.
“It just rained, and this is a new track, I think it got a little soft. Because of that, the block was slipping for a lot of people. But mine didn’t happen, so I’m thankful to that,” he said.
The national record holder said his primary objective was to achieve the Asian Games qualification mark rather than chase a faster time.
“No worries, the main purpose was to come here and get the qualification done for the Asian Games. I did not push myself much, It was not a matter of running very fast here. I just needed to get the qualification.
“My aim is to win a medal in the Asian Games. I am now in the fifth spot (among season leaders) in Asia, so I can do it (win medal).”
Shirse also revealed his upcoming competition schedule, saying he hopes to race in Europe before heading to the Commonwealth Games.
“After that, I will be competing in the Commonwealth Games on July 27. So, good things are on the way.”
In the men’s hammer throw, Punjab’s Damneet Singh won gold with a throw of 69.72m, while Rajasthan’s Praveen Kumar secured silver with 69.58m. Both athletes surpassed the AFI’s Asian Games qualifying distance of 69.12m.
Tamil Nadu’s national record holder Praveen Chithravel captured the men’s triple jump gold with 16.92m, comfortably clearing the Asian Games qualifying standard of 16.28m.
The event saw remarkable depth, with the top six athletes all exceeding the qualification mark, although only two competitors from a country can participate in the multi-sport event in Japan later this year.
Kerala’s U Karthik took silver with 16.80m, narrowly ahead of Tamil Nadu’s Selva Prabhu, who managed 16.79m. Kerala’s Abdulla Aboobacker finished fourth with 16.54m, followed by Tamil Nadu’s J Mohanraj (16.53m) in fifth and Gailey Venister in sixth.
Haryana dominated the women’s discus throw as Seema, Sanya Yadav and Nidhi Rani completed a clean sweep of the medals. Seema claimed gold with 59.73m, Sanya Yadav took silver with 56.05m and Nidhi Rani won bronze with 55.92m. All three athletes bettered the Asian Games qualifying distance of 55.48m.
Seema and Nidhi are also part of India’s squad for the Commonwealth Games.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh’s Munita Prajapati overcame challenging heat and humidity to win the women’s half marathon.
The 24-year-old completed the 21.09km race in 1:45.05 seconds, falling short of the AFI’s Asian Games qualifying standard of 1:37.20.
Munita’s personal best remains 1:39.26, recorded while finishing second at the Indian Race Walking Championships in Chandigarh in February this year.
Her Uttar Pradesh teammate Reshma Patel finished second in 1:45.48, while Maharashtra’s Sejal Anil Singh claimed bronze with 1:46.31.
Haryana’s national record-holder and Commonwealth Games-bound Ravina placed fourth with a time of 1:48.56.
About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
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