Focus will be on Kavita Pandya, Beenamol

By A. Vinod

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 3. If expectations were belied and in the end disappointment stared on all those who were present at the Anna stadium in Nagercoil on Saturday, things are likely to be no different at the second-leg of the National domestic circuit athletics meet, which is to be held at the University stadium here on Monday. For simply, it does seem that this attempt by the Amateur Athletics Federation of India to provide the athletes with competitive exposure at the start of a new season would remain a half-baked plot as the key actors themselves look totally disinclined in gaining a berth for the Indian team for the coming World championship in Edmonton, Canada, and preferring instead to concentrate more on the Afro- Asian Games to be held in New Delhi this November.

Consequently, as in Nagercoil, the field for the 13 events included in the card for the morrow once again looks to remain thin and leaves the possibility of at least one athlete having to return home without getting a chance to compete. Under normal circumstances, the meet should have marked the return of this country's best known woman long jumper of the day, Anju Markose, back to the competitive arena after a long lay-off due to injury. But now with none other than Anju available to participate in the event, it looks as if the women's long jump could end up as a casualty on Monday thus also lowering the chance of the National record holder to get to qualify for the early August championship in Edmonton.

In more ways than one, this peculiar situation is not new to Indian athletics as we have had the spectacle of P. T. Usha herself being reduced to tears sometime back when others fearing that the most celebrated athlete of our times, then on a comeback trail, would reduce significantly their chances chose to withdraw from the women's 200m in Lucknow and made that attempt to stall the chances of the Kerala-born legend from qualifying for the Fukoka Asian championship. Well, whether it would be turn of Anju now to return home in grief is thus anybody's guess.

In fact, what should have forced many to stay away from the first two-legs of the current circuit would be their knowledge about the prevailing conditions both here and in Nagercoil. And if the clay track at the Anna stadium would have proved to be a major deterrent, the cause for the thin attendance here could be attributed only to the worn out conditions of the tartan track in University stadium; the present crop of athletes being so cautious in guarding against getting injured and that too so early in the season. Particularly, when one is only well aware about the current fate of Sunita Rani, who according to sources is certain to miss the whole of this season, still to recover herself from the injury that has laid her low for sometime now.

That nothing has been done to repair and relay the track despite pleas from various quarters is in itself a different story on the importance attached to sports in Kerala by the powers-that-be. No wonder then, that Kerala athletics too is in such a mess these days, far removed from the glorious period that it enjoyed both Governmental and public patronage and the athletes themselves were treated well.

In the given circumstances, it would be then unpardonable if the athletes, especially those competing in the track, are unnecessarily criticised if they fail to live up to the expectations on Monday. The card includes as many as seven track events, and given the form that they displayed in Nagercoil much also remains to be seen whether the same athletes could improve upon their performances almost overnight, the poor track conditions notwithstanding.

Anyway, the ones to remain in focus would be the surprise packet of the first-leg, Kavita Pandya, the seasoned K. M. Beenamol, who will back competing in her pet event, the 400m, and the veteran Neelam Jaswant Singh, not to leave out young Navpreet Singh, who after a decent effort of 18.58m in the men's shot put yesterday would be itching to prove that his win at Nagercoil was by no means a flash in the pan. Otherwise, the field which remains the same looks set to see a repeat of what happened on Saturday, though the organisers have announced an improved prize-money for the winners of the morrow.

Monday's schedule (starting 12-30 p.m):

Men: 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500/3000m, long jump, shot put, javelin throw, hammer throw.

Women: 100m, 400m, 1500m, long jump, discus throw.

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Section  : Sport
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