Date:01/02/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/02/01/stories/2003020103572400.htm

Sport - Athletics

Muddassir, Mandeep set new marks

By Our Sports Reporter

Karnataka's Mohammed Muddassir (3019) who won the gold with a new meet record in the boys' under-19 200m event at the 48th National School Games athletic championship in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE Jan. 31. Mohammed Muddassir rewrote the record in the boys' under-19 200m and led Karnataka's surge to the second spot in the 48th National School Games athletic championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Friday.

On a day when the host won four golds to move up the medals tally, Muddassir's dash past the finishing line in the 200m finals proved to be the crowning glory.

Mudassir, beset with a slow start, inched ahead at the curve and his final sprint left the competition in the shadows. The Al-Ameen College first year pre-university class student scored a personal best, eclipsing his earlier effort of 22.30s at the recent junior Nationals at Shimoga but more importantly, he erased Umesh Patil's earlier meet record of 22.07s set in 2001.

The host's tilt at the top spot got an added fillip with the trio of Kavya Muthanna (girls under-17, high jump), Mahalakshmi (under-17, 800m) and M. Sneha (under-14, discus throw) bagging golds.

Andhra Pradesh, continued to lead the table with a tally of 15 medals including six golds and held onto the leadership mantle with three silvers to Karnataka's lone silver. Andhra's lone gold for the day was bagged by P. Trinath who topped the under-17 800m clocking 1:55.6s.

Punjab's Mandeep Kaur extended her record hunt while running past a 23-year old record in the girls under-17 200m final. Mandeep clocked 25.0s to obliterate Victoria Aaoka's 25.2s set in 1979.

Another record tumbled as Gujarat's Chethana Solanki cleared 3.30m in the girls under-19 pole vault. Chethana broke her own earlier record of 2.50m established last year.

Age violations continue to haunt

School athletes fabricating certificates and competing in younger age-group categories remains a persistent malady in junior competitions and the disturbing issue reared its ugly head in the current School championship.

The officials disqualified Madhu Kumar (Haryana), Himanshu Mishra (UP) and Sunil Kumar (Rajasthan) in the boys under-19 hammer throw event while Munnaram (Chattisgarh) and Sukhdeep Singh (Punjab) faced the axe in the boys under-14 shotput event.

The above mentioned athletes were found overage in the medical tests. Madhu Kumar and Munnaram won `gold' in their respective events but with their fraud coming to light, the results were not announced.

The results: Boys: Under-14: 200m: 1. Shibu Mondal (WB), 23.5s; 2. D. Surender (AP), 23.5; 3. Harihar Kadam (AP), 24.1. Under-17: 200m: 1. Rajesh (Delhi), 22.1s NMR, Old: 22.29, Surendra Singh (Haryana), 2001; 2. Rahamatula Molla (WB), 22.4; 3. Lalian Yadav (UP), 22.5; 800m: 1. P. Trinath (AP), 1:55.6s; 2. Vikash Kumar (UP), 1:56.5s; 3. K. Shivanaga Raj (AP), 1:57.8; Triple jump: 1. V. Vijeesh (Ker), 14.26m; 2. Budharam Singh (Orissa), 14.18; 3. T. Pradeep Kumar (Ker), 13.88. Under-19: 200m: 1. Mohammed Muddassir (Kar), 21.3s NMR, Old: 22.07, Umesh Patil (Guj), 2001; 2. Surinder (Haryana), 21.4; 3. K.L. Layesh (Ker), 21.8; 5000m: 1. Teniji Gade (Mah), 16:10.4s; 2. Raju Sahu (Jharkhand), 16:11.6; 3. Mukesh (Haryana), 16:13.8; Long jump: 1. Geobin Clement (Ker), 7.16m; 2. Ramesh (Haryana), 7.00; 3. Sukhpal Singh (Punj), 6.68.

Girls: Under-14: 200m: 1. Labina Bhumij (WB), 26.3s; 2. Stephy Joy (Ker), 26.8; 3. Aditi Shaha (Mah), 27.2; High jump: 1. Antana Khatur (WB), 1.50m; 2. Shibami Bhumij (WB), 1.47; 3. N.D. Tintu (Ker), 1.47; Discus throw: 1. M. Sneha (Kar), 28.45m; 2. Abhilasha Sebastian (Ker), 25.71; 3. Poornima (Mah), 25.51. Under-17: 200m: 1. Mandeep Kaur (Pun), 25.0s NMR, Old: 25.2, Victoria Aaoka (Del), 1979; 2. Maria James (Ker), 25.1; 3. Crissina Maria Pais (Kar), 25.6; 800m: 1. Mahalakshmi (Kar), 2:26.6s; 2. Manpreet Kaur (Punj), 2:26.6; 3. Jhuma Khatun (WB), 2:27.1; High jump: 1. Kavya Muthanna (Kar), 1.58m; 2. Mallika Mondal (WB), 1.53; 3. Jessy Mol Abraham (Ker), 1.53. Under-19: 200m: 1. Aruna Kumari (AP), 24.9s; 2. Shilpi Dhali (WB), 25.1; 3. Ranjita Roy (WB), 25.1; Javelin throw: 1. Sanjo Devi (HP), 42.52m; 2. Aplesh (Haryana), 39.70; 3. Nisha (Haryana), 36.96; Pole vault: 1. Chethana Solanki (Guj), 3.30m NMR, Old: 2.50, Self, 2002; 2. Priyanka Jose (Ker), 2.30; 3. Preseetha M. Nair (Ker), 2.30.