Date:26/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/26/stories/2007012609872200.htm

Sport - Athletics

Unsavoury start

Principal Correspondent

Bangalore: It proved to be a morning walk that kicked up a storm. The men's 20km walk — the inaugural event of the 67th all-India inter-university championship that commenced at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday — stirred up a controversy.

Punjab University's Baljinder Singh won the gold — the championship's first — clocking 1:39:11.9s to win the event while Hardeep Singh (1:39:41.0s) of Gurunanak Dev University and Kaviraj Mardemootoo (1:40:08.6s) of LNCPE won the silver and bronze respectively. However, fourth-placed Ranjeet Singh of University of Rajasthan, who clocked 1:41:15.9s, alleged that he had completed the required 50 laps while Hardeep and Kaviraj only completed 49 laps.

The results:

Men: 20km walk: 1. Baljinder Singh (Punjab University), 1:39:11.9s; 2. Hardeep Singh (Gurunanak Dev University), 1:39:41.0; 3. Kaviraj Mardemootoo (LNCPE), 1:40:08.6.