The morning session of the Continental Tour meet in Bhubaneswar delivered a thrilling display of sprinting talent, with Indian athletes making their presence felt across the 100m, 200m, and 400m events.
From commanding heat victories to stacked finals lineups, the home crowd is set for an action-packed evening of finals.
400m: Indians Set the Tone Early
The day began with the men’s 400m heats at 7:35am, where India’s quartermilers wasted no time asserting dominance. In Heat 1, Vishal TK clocked 46.58s (season best: 45.57s) to comfortably take first place, followed by Santosh Kumar in 47.03s (SB 46.84s) and Jay Kumar in 47.51s. Heat 2 turned into an all-Indian affair, with Rince Joseph topping the race in 48.22s (SB 46.65s) and Dharamveer Singh close behind in 48.58s.
With all finishers advancing, the 400m final will feature seven Indians alongside Ricardo from Portugal, setting the stage for a high-intensity battle later in the day.
Men’s 100m: Four Indians Make the Final
The men’s 100m heats brought mixed fortunes for India. In Heat 1, Animesh Kujur pulled out midway, raising concerns about a possible injury. The race was won by Harsh Kumar, who clocked 10.47s (SB 10.38s), with Lalu Bhoi second in 10.61s (SB 10.45s). Heat 2 was headlined by Malaysian sprint star Md Azeem, who lived up to expectations by finishing first in 10.48 s. Azeem, the Malaysian national record holder at 10.09 s and with a season best of 10.20 s, was followed by India’s Tamilarasu in 10.52 s.
The final, scheduled for 5:35pm, will see Harsh Kumar, Lalu Bhoi, Tamilarasu, and Ragul flying the Indian flag against a strong field that includes Azeem and competitors from Malaysia, Iraq, and Sri Lanka.
Women’s 100m: Seven Indians in the Final
India’s women sprinters were in good form, sweeping the heats and loading the evening final with home representation.
In Heat 1, Sneha took the top spot in 11.70 s (SB 11.55 s), edging past 19-year-old Abinaya, who clocked 11.72 s (SB 11.54 s). Sudeshna finished third with 11.87 s (SB 11.76 s), and seasoned campaigner Srabani Nanda was fourth at 11.92 s (SB 11.72 s). Heat 2 saw Nithya lead with 11.81s, closely followed by Sakshi Chavan in 11.94s. Malaysian sprinter Zaidatul Husniah, a consistent competitor in the region, finished third in 11.97 s.
The 5:45pm women’s 100m final will feature seven Indians, Nithya, Sakshi, Sneha, Abinaya, Sudeshna, Srabani, and Sudheeksha with Zaidatul as the only foreign finalist.
Men’s 200m: Animesh and Ragul Qualify for Final
After the morning setback in the 100m, Animesh Kujur bounced back strongly in the 200m, storming through Heat 2 in 20.99s (SB 20.32s) to qualify for the final. Teammate Ragul followed closely in 21.01 s.
Heat 1 saw South Korea’s Ko Seung-Hwan take the win in 20.99s (SB 20.45s), with Papua New Guinea’s Tuna Tovetina Timothy second in 21.29s (SB 20.64s). India’s Amlan Borgohain finished fourth in 21.41s (SB 20.80s).
The 200m final lineup features Animesh (IND), Ragul (IND), Shubham (IND), Ko Seung (KOR), Tuna (PNG), Khumo (RSA), Luke (GBR), and Amlan (IND), making it another event where India will have strong representation.
The Evening is packed with as many as 17 finals with plenty of Indian action to unfold; this is going to be a huge evening for Indian athletics.
