I want to go past 8.40m mark now, says long jumper Sreeshankar after qualifying for Tokyo Olympics | More sports News – Times of India

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KOCHI: After he bettered his own long jump national record to earn an Olympic berth on Tuesday, Sreeshankar Murali is chuffed but grounded. He knows there is still plenty of work to be done before boarding the flight to Tokyo. On the way back to his hometown Palakkad from Patiala after registering a new national record mark of 8.26 metres, the 21-year-old athlete opened up about his journey.
“I had wanted to ensure qualification in the Indian GP last month but I was not in any rhythm at that time. But now I feel really happy to have set a new record and qualified,” said Sreeshankar who went past his previous mark of 8.20m and the Olympic qualifying standard of 8.22m with his fifth and final jump in Patiala the other day.
“My rhythm was very good yesterday and there was a good flow. I could use my power to the optimum effect. There really wasn’t any doubt about whether I could qualify or not,” said Sreeshankar who is trained by his father Murali, a former triple jumper and silver medallist at the South Asian Games.
“All the credit for my achievements goes to my father. He identified my speed and explosiveness at a very young age and groomed me as an athlete. The only advice he has given me is to be straightforward in anything that I do. He is very strict in his training routines and taught me that there are no shortcuts to success,” said Sreeshankar whose mother KS Bijimol is a former 800m runner.
Sreeshankar wants to breach the 8.40m mark going forward. “It is obviously a dream come true for me to take part in the Olympics. But I know I have a lot of areas to improve. My next target is to achieve the 8.40 mark. There are some technical aspects that I have to work on for that. I have to get better in my run-up and rhythm,” said Sreeshankar, a BSC mathematics student at Palakkad Victoria College, who had the option of joining MBBS but decided against it to further his ambitions in athletics.
Sreeshankar and his father moved their entire training home during the lockdown. “I shifted my equipment to my valiachan’s (father’s brother) house and set up a gym facility. My cousins and all helped me in my training as I worked towards building up my core strength and speed. Once the lockdown restrictions were lifted, I got to use the facilities at Palakkad medical college ground,” said Sreeshankar who has had to endure some difficult times during his yet nascent athletics career.
In 2018, he suffered a ruptured appendicitis and had to undergo surgery. He lost weight and it hampered his performances despite landing his first international medal, a bronze in the Junior Asian Championships in June 2018. “It took nearly five months for me to regain full fitness and form after the operation. I could not take part in the Commonwealth Games and could finish only sixth in the Asian Games that followed,” he said.
However, he set his previous national record mark of 8.20m in the National Open Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in September 2018. “I was looking forward to 2019 but at the beginning of the year, I suffered a heel injury. I recovered in one month but once again it took me time to rediscover my form,” said Sreeshankar who is a basketball junkie.
“My favourite is Kobe Bryant. His death was a big loss for the sporting world. His work-ethic and mindset are my guiding forces. I have watched his videos and the way he recovers from injuries and setbacks has inspired me a lot,” he added.

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Annu Rani betters own javelin national record, still misses Olympics mark | More sports News – Times of India

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PATIALA: Annu Rani bettered her own javelin throw national record but still missed the Tokyo Olympics qualification mark by more than half a metre on the opening day of the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships here on Monday.
Rani clinched the gold with a best throw of 63.24m which she came up with in her third attempt, obliterating her earlier national mark of 62.43m which she had recorded during the World Championships in Doha in 2019.
The Tokyo Olympics qualification mark for women’s javelin throw is 64m.
The 28-year-old, who had won a bronze in the 2014 Asian Games and a silver in the Asian Championships in 2019, was representing Uttar Pradesh in the national event.
Sanjana Choudhary of Rajasthan was a distant second with a best throw of 54.55m while Haryana’s Kumari Sharmila was third with a best effort of 50.78m in the eight-athlete field.
Rani led Uttar Pradesh to a three-gold show from four finals on the day. The ball was set rolling by 21-year-old Savita Pal who made her debut 10000m race a memorable one by sprinting past Sanjvani Jadhav (Maharashtra). Shot putter Kiran Baliyan accounted for the third gold with a 16.45m effort.
On a day when no men’s final was scheduled, the other gold medal was won by Tamil Nadu Pole Vaulter Rosy Paulraj, who leapt over the bar placed at 3.80m.
Yet, it was her state-mate S Dhanalakshmi who produced a stunning race in the women’s 100m semifinals. She threw down the gauntlet for Dutee Chand (Odisha) with a 11.38-second 100m sprint.
Taking to the track after Assam’s Hima Das won her heats in 11.63 seconds, Dutee Chand clocked 11.51 without straining too much.
In the men’s 100m semifinals, Gurindervir Singh (Punjab) set a personal best time of 10.30 seconds. It was the third fastest time by an Indian sprinter behind the 10.21 clocked by Anil Kumar in 2000 and the 10.26 by Amiya Kumar Mallick in 2016 and Sanjeet Singh in 2018.
It equalled the 10.30 clocked by Mohammed Abdul Najeeb Qureshi in 2010.
The seasoned MR Poovamma led the eight qualifiers into the women’s 400m final, powering to victory in 54.34 seconds, the second fastest time this season. The only other runner who dipped under 56 seconds was Aishwarya Kailash Mishra (Maharashtra) with a time of 55.05, while VK Vismaya found herself running in the wrong lane after the first 100m.
Muhammad Anas Yahiya (Kerala) showed his form by topping the men’s 400m qualification for the final with a 46.26 second run. Arokia Rajiv (Tamil Nadu) also showed good form by winning his semifinal heats in 46.84 after Amoj Jacob had stopped the clock in his heats in 47.80 seconds.

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Pooja Rani in semis; Lovlina Borgohain loses in Boxam International | Boxing News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the semifinals to secure a medal but two-time world bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) bowed out after a quarterfinal loss at the 35th Boxam International Boxing Tournament in Castellon, Spain.
In late night bouts on Wednesday, Olympic-bound Rani defeated Italian Assunta Canfora to join the seasoned M C Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and debutant Jasmine (57kg) in the last-four stage. The three had won their quarterfinals earlier in the day.
Rani is a three-time Asian medallist and also a 2014 Asian Games bronze-winner.
However, Borgohain, who has also qualified for the Tokyo Games, lost 0-5 to Russia’s Saadat Dalgatova to make a surprisingly early exit from the tournament.
Asian bronze-winner Manisha Moun (57kg) was another Indian to be ousted from contention when she was defeated 0-5 by Italian Irma Testa in the quarterfinals.
On Thursday, eight Indian male boxers will fight it out to make the medal rounds.
The list comprises the Olympic-bound five of Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), and Satish Kumar (+91kg) along with Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg) and Sanjeet (91kg).
Boxers from 17 countries, including Russia, USA, Italy, Kazakhstan and Spain, are participating in the event.

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