Indian Grand Prix 1 2022 | Hima Das bags silver in 200m, Dhanalakshmi clinches gold
A file image of Hima Das.
|(Twitter)
Hima Das had to settle for silver in the women's 200m race at the Indian Grand Prix 1 2022 athletics event in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She finished 0.24 seconds behind Dhanalakshmi Sekar, a Tokyo Olympian who beat both Hima and Dutee Chand in the same event at the Federation Cup last year.
Dhanalakshmi's gold medal-winning performance of 23.21 was just a little faster than the Athletics Federation of India's qualifying requirements for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Priya Mohan, 18, won gold in the women's 400m ahead of M R Poovamma, a Rio 2016 Olympian (53.39 seconds).
Along with the gold in the 400m event, Priya Mohan also managed to get herself the 200m crown at the inter-university cup, beating Dutee Chand. She also broke the Asian Games Qualifying timing of 53.19 seconds but lost out on the CWG timing. At the Tokyo Olympics, Amol Jacob (45.98) and Tom Noah Nirmal (46.08), both members of the Asian record-breaking Indian men's 4x400m relay team, won gold and silver in the men's 400m, respectively.
In the men's 200m, Rajiv Arokia, another member of the Tokyo Olympics relay squad, had to settle for bronze. His time of 21.49 seconds was 0.55 seconds behind the gold medalist Amlan Borgohain.
Jeswin Aldrin won the gold medal in the men's long jump event because Tokyo Olympian Murali Sreeshankar did not start. Aldrin's best attempt of 8.20m was only 0.06m shy of Sreeshankar's national record of 8.26m. Both the Asiad and CWG criteria were satisfied by Aldrin.
Ancy Sojan, who won gold in the women's long jump with a leap of 6.55m, also met the Asian and Commonwealth Games qualifying mark.
Both records were broken in the men's javelin throw, with Manu DP taking first place with a personal best of 82.43m. Rohit Yadav (80.03m), the silver medalist, was also ahead of the Asiad limit of 80m.
Meanwhile, Ajay Kumar Saroj, the Asian championships gold medalist in middle distance running, won the men's 1500m event in 3:43.53. Manpreet Kaur, an Olympian shot putter, had to settle for silver behind Abha Khatua.
Kerala will also host the Indian Grand Prix 2 starting on March 23.
