Panel picks State team

Jyothi, Ashwini to confirm their participation later

The panel appointed to pick the State team for the National Open athletics championships selected seven athletes after the trials at the Vidyanagar Sports School track on Sunday.

Sprinters G N Bopanna, Salim Sheikh and Arun Kumar, high jumper Chetan, 800M runners R Mahalakshmi and Uma Bhagyalakshmi and 400M hurdler M Arpitha were the ones gaining selection at the newly-laid synthetic track.

Sprinter H M Jyothi, who is making a comeback, and quartermiler Ashwini Akkunji, who are part of the national camp, will be added to the list after they confirm their participation.

A total of 56 athletes, including 12 women, took part in Sunday’s trials, which were rescheduled after the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports halted the selection process called by the Karnataka Athletics Association last week at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

The DYES was of the view that the State association had been dissolved and had no right to conduct the trials. The Athletics Federation of India, meanwhile, has stressed that it won’t accept the entries if they are not sent by the State association. As such, the State athletes will be in a spot of bother, unless the AFI allows them to participate on behalf of the federation itself.

Of the six-member DYES panel, five – Kenneth Powell, Uday K Prabhu, C Muralidharan, Reeth Abraham and S D Eashan – were present at the trials. G V Gaonkar could not attend due to personal reasons.

The Open Nationals are scheduled at Ranchi from September 7 to 10.