Odisha’s Animesh Kujur, centre, wins the men’s 100m gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Saturday, 08 February 2025.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR
Can’t be!
That’s what everyone who were watching the men’s 100m final from the trackside appeared to say as the results came up on the giant screen a few seconds later. It showed Services’ Manikanta Hoblidhar, the national record holder with 10.23s, as the fastest man of the 38th National Games at the Ganga Stadium here on Saturday. Manikanta even posed for the posse of eager cameramen.
But it was Odisha’s Animesh Kujur who appeared to have finished first. There had been some confusion somewhere and some 20 minutes later, during the medal ceremony, things became clear and Kujur returned wearing the precious gold medal.
Was he shocked when Manikanta was shown as the winner first?
Sudeshna Shivankar, centre, of Maharashtra claims the women’s 100m gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Saturday, 08 February 2025.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR
“No, I knew I came first. I didn’t have any doubt. My expectation was to break the national record, but it’s okay.,” said Odisha’s Kujur who clocked 10.28s which equalled Amlan Borgohain’s Games record set in 2022. Borgohain took the bronze, while Manikanta went without a medal, taking the fifth spot in 10.46.
Kujur, not a strong starter, made up nicely towards the finish.
“My coach told me, don’t panic even if you don’t get a good start, you have a good top-end. Just believe that you’re going to do good,” said Kujur who is coached by Englishman Martin Owens at the Reliance Foundation’s Odisha centre.
He has some big goals for this year and that includes breaking the 100m national record though the 200m is his main event.
Sawan Barwal of Himachal Pradesh won gold and created a National Games record in the men’s 10000m at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Saturday, 08 February 2025.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR
“Yes, in the senior Federation Cup… just wait and watch,” he said, raising hopes all around.
Kujur said his coach was working on his start.
“He’s doing something, something…I also don’t know what’s going on in his mind.”
Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Sudeshna Shivankar, last year’s Khelo India University Games champion, surprised top names like R. Giridharani and Srabani Nanda to emerge as the fastest woman here in 11.76s.
Tamil Nadu’s Pavithra Venkatesh and Baranica Elangovan made it a nice one-two in women’s pole-vault where national record-holder Rosy Meena Paulraj finished 10th.
Pavithra Venkatesh of Tamil Nadu won gold in women’s pole vault at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Saturday, 08 February 2025.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR
Earlier, in the morning, Himachal Pradesh’s Sawan Barwal broke National record holder Gulveer Singh’s National Games record in the mens’ 10,000m clocking 28:49.93s.
“I could have done a lot better, but there was no one to push me,” said the 26-year-old.
The results: Men: 100m: 1. Animesh Kujur (Odi) 10.28s EMR, 2. Pranav Gurav (Mah) 10.32, 3. Amlan Borgohain (Asm) 10.43. 1500m: 1. Yoonus Shah (Ser) 3:46.48s, 2. Ritesh Ohre (MP) 3:46.64, 3. Ram Singh (Utk) 3:50.24. 10,000m: 1. Sawan Barwal (HP) 28:49.93s, 2. Kiran Matre (Mah) 29:04.76, 3. Vinod Singh (MP) 29:43.60. Long jump: 1. Shahnavaz Khan (UP) 7.70m, 2. V. Sriram (TN) 7.59, 3. C.V. Anurag (Ker) 7.56. Discus throw: 1 Gagandeep Singh (Ser) 55.01m, 2. Nirbhay Singh (Har) 54.07, 3. Alex P. Thankachan (Ker) 52.79.
Women: 100m: 1. Sudeshna Shivankar (Mah) 11.76s, 2. Nithya Gandhe (Tel) 11.79, 3. R. Giridharani (TN) 11.88. 1500m: 1. K.M. Chanda (Del) 4:17.74s, 2. K.M. Deeksha (MP) 4:21.92, 3. Amandeep Kaur (Pun) 4:22.75. 10,000m: 1. Sanjivani Jadhav (Mah) 33:33.47s, 2. Ankita (Utk) 34:31.03, 3. Soniya (Utk) 35:45.19. Pole vault: 1. Pavithra Venkatesh (TN) 3.95m, 2. Baranica Elangovan (TN) 3.90, 3. Mariya Jaison (Ker) 3.90. Discus throw: Seema (Har) 52.70s, 2. Bhavana Yadav (Del) 51.82, 3. Amanat Kamboj (Pun) 49.94.
Published – February 08, 2025 08:07 pm IST
