Date:06/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/06/stories/2006090604761900.htm

Sport - Athletics

Sureka breaks the four-metre barrier

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: V.S. Sureka broke through the four-metre barrier in pole vault while setting a national record on the opening day of the 72nd all-India Railways athletics championships at the Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.

Sureka, aiming beyond the four metres since the start of the season, finally managed to achieve that as she bettered her own National record with a clearance of 4.05 metres. At what has become some sort of a home ground for this Chennai-based Southern Railway athlete, Sureka went through 3.80 and 3.95 with effortless ease before asking for 4.05 and clearing it on her third attempt. She failed at 4.15.

By then Sureka was alone in the contest, Chetna Solanki having failed once at 3.65m and twice at 3.70 and Gitanjali Bora three times at 3.70. Sureka had set the previous national mark of 3.90 metres at the same stadium.

The results: Men: 100m: 1. A. Aravind (SR) 10.43, 2. Vilas Neelgund (SWR) 10.55, 3. Vishal Saxena (NR) 10.58; 1500m: 1. Sunil Kumar (SR) 3:56.01, 2. Jai Prakash Patel (SECR) 3:56.29, 3. Ravinder (CR) 3:57.17; 10,000m: 1. S. Raghunath (SCR) 30:21.59, 3. Santosh Kumar (WR) 30:22.51, 3. Soji Mathew (WR) 30:28.68; Pole vault: 1. Praveen Kumar (NR) 4.60, 2. K. P. Bimin (SR) 4.60, 3. Devendra Kumar (NWR) 4.40; High jump: 1. Hari Sankar Roy (ER) 2.18 (NMR, previous 2.17), 2. Benedict Starli (SR) 2.16, 3. Omveer Singh (NWR) 2.05.

Women: 100m: 1. Poonam Tomar (WCR) 11.90, 2. Ranjita Roy (ER) 11.96, 3. Deepti Jose (SR) 12.08; 1500m: 1. O.P. Jaisha (SR) 4:16.85 (NMR, previous 4:17.01), 2. Tajinder Kaur (WR) 4:34.37, 3. Sangeeta Yadav (WR) 4:34.71; 10,000m: 1. Preeja Sreedharan (SR) 35:49.54, 2. Preeti Rao (WR) 36:00.99, 3. Kavita Raut (CR) 37:02.62; 400m hurdles: 1. Babita Singh (CR) 58.98, 2. Baljeet Kaur (NR) 1:00.09, 3. K.J. Vijila (SR) 1:00.94; Pole vault: 1. V.S. Sureka (SR) 4.05 (National record, previous 3.90), 2. Chetna Solanki (WR) 3.60, 3. Gitanjali Bora (NFR) 3.60; Hammer: 1. Ritu Rani (SECR) 60.91 (NMR, previous 56.55), 2. Sukanya Mishra (WR) 52.01, 3. Usma D. (WR) 50.56; Javelin: 1. Saraswathi (SR) 49.62, 2. Megha Pardeshi (WR) 48.14, 3. Baibta (WR) 38.84.