Date:19/02/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/19/stories/2004021901781800.htm

Sport - Athletics

Kunjumol sets new mark

Kunjumol E.C. of WR, the women's triple jump winner.

CHENNAI, FEB. 18. It was a virtual confluence of country's best athletes. But the opening day of the 69th all-India inter-railway athletics meet saw just one new meet record in at the Nehru stadium here on Wednesday.

The day also witnessed the domination of Northern Railway (32 points) men and Eastern Railway (28) women in the long distance and field events. E.C. Kunjumol (Western Railway), who hails from Kerala, stole the show as she created new meet record with a leap of 13.13 m in triple jump. She erased Monisha Dey's record of 13.11 m set in 2001.

The results: Men: 10,000 m: 1. Joga Singh (NR, 30:34.8), 2. Puran Chand (NR), 3. Santhosh (WR); 800 m: 1. K.S. Asoka (SR, 1:50.71), 2. Subash Chander (RCF), 3. S.S. Sundar (SR); 200 m: 1. Pitush Kumar (NR, 21.77 s), 2. P.I. Jali (SR), 3. Amit Kumar Saha (ER); Triple jump: 1. Maha Singh (NR-15.43 m), 2. Sunil Denti (WR), 3. Adarsh Yadav (NCR); Shot put: 1. Shakthi Singh (NR-17.19 m), 2. Jagminder Singh (WR), 3. Lakwinder Singh (DMW).

Women: 10,000 m: 1. Molly Biju (WR, 36:06.2), 2. Pushpadevi (NR), 3. L. Aruna Devi (ER); Triple jump: 1. E.C. Kunjumol (WR, 13.13 m, meet record), 2. Tessymol Joseph (CR), 3. Jibimol Abraham (SR); 800 m: 1. Sunita (WCR-2:08.56), 2. M.K. Rekha (CR), 3. Piniki Paramanik (ER); 200 m: 1. Saraswati Saha (ER-24.23 s), 2. J.J. Shobha (SCR), 3. S. Geetha (SCR); Discus throw: 1. Krishna Poonia (NWR, 53.07 m), 2. Manmeet Baine (WR), 3. Harji Kaur (NR); High jump: 1. Sahanakumar (SWR, 1.74 m), 2. Sumita Singha Roy (ER), 3. Tessymol Joseph (CR).

Team positions (Day one): Men: 1. Northern (32 pts.), 2. Southern (22), 3. Western (20); Women: 1. Eastern (28), 2. Western (21), 3. Southern (20).