Govind D. Belgaumkar / The Hindu
Mangalore, Sep 30: Two girls from Dakshina Kannada have been included in the national athletics camp being conducted in Bhopal in preparation for the Asian and World championships.
Dakshina Kannada District athletic coach Vasanth Kumar, who is the only coach from Karnataka to have been invited to the camp, told The Hindu that two of the three athletes chosen for the camp were from Dakshina Kannada district.
The girls are triple jumper Joylin Mural Lobo of Alva’s College in Moodbidri and 100-m runner Rebecca Jose of Kadaba, near Sullia, who is being coached at the Centre for Excellence, Bangalore. They are the only two women athletes from Karnataka to have been selected for the national camp.
Third member
M. Arshad, the other athlete from Karnataka, a triple jumper, who is being coached at the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports Hostel, Bangalore, is from Mysore District.
The athletes who meet international standards in their respective events will make it to the final team for the Asian and World meets. The Asian meet will be held in China.
The athletes undergoing training at the Bhopal camp will showcase their talents in the forthcoming national junior athletics championship to be held in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, in November. The selection list is likely to be announced after this event, according to Mr. Kumar.
Both the girls are likely to face tough competition from other athletes at Bhopal. While Jose’s best performance in 100 m is 12.4 seconds, her competitors, Ranjita Mohanta of Orissa (12.38) and Bhagyashree Shirke of Maharashtra (12.08), have fared better than her. Jose’s competitors have the advantage of having participated in Asian and international events.
Lobo, who recently won gold medal in the triple jump at Dasara Sports Meet at Mysore, will have to work hard to match G. Gayatri of Tamil Nadu. Lobo’s best performance in triple jump is 12.08 metres to Gayatri’s 13.11 metres. Moreover, Gayatri has already participated in international meets.
Arshad, whose best performance is 15.25 m in the triple jump, has to overcome tough competition from Kerala’s P. Pranav, whose best is 15.63 m.