Date:10/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091061742300.htm

Sport

Mayookha lives up to her billing

Stan Rayan

Shatters Manisha Dey’s record by almost 20cm; Sajeesh claims 1500m

— Photo: Vipin Chandran

CORNERING GLORY: Sinimol Paulose won the women’s 1500m event in Kochi on Tuesday.

KOCHI: Just as the day was about to wind up without a record, Kerala triple jumper Mayookha Johny lifted the mood at the 48th National Open athletics championship with a meet mark at the Maharaja’s Stadium here on Tuesday night.

The 20-year-old, who looks good to step into Anju George’s shoes, landed a personal best 13.54m as she shattered the six-year-old record of Railway’s Manisha Dey by nearly 20cm. It was the two-day-old championship’s first record and came in the day’s last event.

“I’m not very happy, I was looking for the national record here,” said the Thalassery SAI jumper who came to Kochi with a personal best of 13.34m.

“But I’m not unhappy too.”

Mayookha had predicted a big jump in Kochi, something in the 13.50 to 13.70m range, a few days ago. A 13.68 effort would have brought her Anju George’s national mark.

“But it was bit cold. And I had a small problem with my new spikes. I’m yet to get comfortable with them,” said the young girl who came to Kochi with a personal best of 13.34m.

Mayookha took time to settle down. And when Anisha Vijayan (Police) took the lead with 13.22m, she appeared a bit shaky. “She gets a bit nervous whenever somebody takes the lead,” said her coach Jose Mathew.

But she shook herself back to shape in the fourth jump as she powered past the championship record and then came up with another 13.43 effort in her next jump before losing her rhythm in the last one.

Mediocre

Apart from Mayookha’s performance, the second day’s proceedings were just mediocre.

Sajeesh Joseph’s comments after winning his first major 1,500m title virtually summed up the day. “We all just jogged only in the last 200m we ran,” said the Railway runner after the slow metric mile.

The event included Chatholi Hamza, the defending champion and meet record holder, but the Services star, who was unwell could not produce a strong finishing kick after being the early leader.

Sinimole wins 1500m

Asian champion Sinimole Paulose was also a slow winner in the women’s 1,500m though she was too good for the rest of the field.

“There was no point in going all out. Also, I have the 800 tomorrow,” said ONGC’s Sinimole.

A good majority of the events here are being held under floodlights, but the lack of light forced the organisers to stop the men’s high jump with the height at two metres.

The event will be continued on Wednesday morning.

The results: Men: 400m: 1. Bibin Mathew (Rly) 46.81s, 2. Virender Kumar Pankaj (Pol) 47.35, 3. P.S.Sreejith (Rly) 48.12.

1,500m: 1. Sajeesh Joseph (Rly) 3:49.95s, 2. Ravinder (Rly) 3:51.00, 3. Naresh Yadav (Ser) 3:51.75.

Long jump: 1. Maha Singh (Rly) 7.49m, 2. Shamsher Pratap Singh (Pjb) 7.39, 3. Md Ibrar (Ser) 7.35.

Shot put: 1. Om Prakash (Hary) 17.70m, 2. Saurabh Vij (ONGC) 17.54, 3. Avinash Vashist (Guj) 16.96.

Decathlon: 1. Daya Ram (Ser) 6601 pts, 2. Ram Nivas (Rly) 6296, 3. Vijay Kumar (Ser) 6123.

Women: 400m: 1. S. Geetha (Rly) 54.15s, 2. K. Mrudula (AP) 55.29, 3. K. Sowjanya (AP) 55.44.

1,500m: 1. Sinimole Paulose (ONGC) 4:19.77s, 2. Jhuma Khatun (Rly) 4:21.27, 3. S.R. Bindu (Ker) 4:21.95.

20,000m walk: 1. V.S. Sandhya (Ker) 1:51:37.30s, 2. Supriya Adak (Rly) 1:53:11.90, 3. Anita Kumari (Raj) 2:02:07.90.

Triple jump: 1. Mayookha Johny (Ker), 13.54m, new meet record; OR Rly’s Manisha Dey, 13.35 m, 2002; 2. Anisha K. Vijayan (Pol) 13.22, 3. Kulvinder Kaur (Pol) 12.92.

Hammer throw: 1. Archana Bara (Pol) 55.85m, 2. Sukanya Mishra (Rly) 53.64, 3. Manju Bala (Guj) 51.46.

Pole vault: 1. V.S.Surekha (Rly) 3.50m, 2. N.Madhusini Devi (Rly) 3.40, 3. Manju Bala (Guj) 51.46.