Bhubaneswar: Four Indian athletes – long jumpers Siddharth Mohan Naik and Nayana James, and triple jumpers Karthik Unnikrishnan and Joyline M Lobo – passed fitness tests here Saturday at the Kalinga Stadium and were cleared to take part in the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships (AAC2017) which starts July 5.
With Athletics Federation of India (AFI) deputy chief CK Valson and national coach Radhakrishnan Nair watching them, Naik jumped 7.40m and James 6.25m respectively. In the triple jump Unnikrishnan achieved a distance of 15.92m while Loba logged 12.79m respectively. The trials could not be held as scheduled Friday because of incessant downpours.
High hurdler Siddhanth Thingalaya and discus thrower Vikas Gowda, both national record holders, will undergo trials at the same venue Sunday.
Valson said the trials were primarily to test the athletes’ fitness. “We are very firm in ensuring that our athletes are fit when competing at the highest stage. The fact that we have chosen not to enter the full quota of three athletes in each event underlines our commitment to entering the best possible squad,” pointed out Valson.
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