Date:06/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/06/stories/2004120605541600.htm

Sport - Athletics

Renjith hogs limelight

PALAKKAD, DEC. 5. M. Renjith (Kollam) with an impressive record-breaking effort in the boys' under-20 triple jump hogged the limelight on the concluding day of the 48th State junior athletic meet at the Mercy College ground here on Sunday.

The well-built youngster touched a distance of 15.77m as he eclipsed the old record of 15.01m set by Thrissur's Praveen in 2001. Besides this, the day also witnessed two other meet records being established by Kottayam's K.P. Bimin, who improved upon his own old mark of 4.36m in the boys' under-20 pole vault to 4.70m, and Kannur's V.D. Shijila, who ran a splendid race to win the girls' under-20 100m title in 11.7s as against the old record of 12.0s, set by Deepthi Jose in 2001.

Kottayam, expectedly, claimed the overall championship title with a tally of 466 points ahead of host Palakkad (308) and Kollam (273).

Team titles: Boys: Under-20: Kollam (87 points). Under-18: Kottayam (103). Under-16: Thiruvananthapuram (57). Girls: Under-20: Kottayam (91). Under-18: Kottayam (91). Under-16: Kannur (93).

Special awards: Boys: Under-20: K.J. Clinton (Kollam). Under-18: K.A. Harish (Pathanamthitta). Under-16: P.K. Anoop (Thrissur). Girls: Under-20: V.D. Shijila (Kannur). Under-18: A.P. Alka Chikili (Kollam). Under-16: Rudy Raj (Kottayam).