The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Bobby Aloysius records season's best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 06, 2004

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Sport - Athletics

Bobby Aloysius records season's best

NEW DELHI, JULY 5. Bobby Aloysius recorded a season best 1.88 metres while winning the second leg of the British National League (first division) at Birmingham on Sunday.

The height bettered her previous best for the season, that of 1.87m she jumped in the Midlands counties meet on June 20, and has given her the confidence in her pursuit of the Olympic qualifying mark of 1.91m.She had won the first leg with 1.84m on May 23.

"I am sure I can clear the Olympic qualification mark in the inter-State meet in Chennai on July 18,'' Bobby said in an e-mail message from her training base in England. The hot conditions back home, compared to the colder European climes, would suit her better, she said.

Bobby is due to reach Bangalore on Tuesday in her preparations for the final selection trials for the Olympics. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is planning to advance the National circuit meet, originally scheduled at Bangalore on August 6, to July 23 in order to provide the Olympic probables with an additional chance to make the grade.

Bobby, ironing out the flaws in her technique under English coach Denis Doyle, has shown steady improvement this season, beginning with 1.84 at Gateshead on May 1 and then moving through 1.85 and 1.86. On Sunday, she cleared 1.88 on her first attempt.

"Only once had I cleared 1.88 on first attempt, at the Busan Asian Games,'' Bobby noted with satisfaction. She had won the silver then. However, she also noted that the Olympic qualifying mark of 1.91, which is a centimetre better than her National record, had remained elusive despite her attempts at almost all the meets she had competed this season.

Meanwhile, discus thrower Anil Kumar reached a personal best of 63.88 metres at Varzdin, Croatia, on Saturday. It bettered his previous best of 63.29m, achieved at Szombathely, Hungary, on May 30. The approved National record, in Anil's name, stands at 62.12m, since August 21, 2002.

The US-based Karnataka youngster, Vikas Gowda, had bettered that mark twice this season in meets in the US, with 62.86 in April and 64.35m at Salinas California, on May 19.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) stated on June 3 that official papers regarding Vikas's marks were awaited. Since then, Shiva Gowda, Vikas's father, a former coach with the Indian team, has forwarded the relevant documents to the AFI. Mr. Gowda has also forwarded a copy of

Vikas's passport to assure the AFI that his son still held an Indian passport and was thus eligible to represent the country in the Athens Olympics.

The AFI Secretary, Lalit Bhanot, had recently stated that the federation was not aware of Vikas's current eligibility, though the 21-year-old Karnataka boy had donned the India colours at the World junior championships in Kingston two years ago.

The `A' qualification standard in discus by which both Vikas and Anil can be entered at the Olympics is 64.00m. The `B' standard is 62.55m. Vikas is scheduled to compete in the inter-State meet at Chennai.

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