Indian Grand Prix 4 In Bhubaneswar: Nayana James Pips Ancy Sojan To Win Long Jump Crown

Bhubaneswar: Nayana James produced two efforts over 6.37m to win the high-profile women’s long jump title in the Indian Grand Prix 4 Athletics Competition at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha capital on Tuesday evening.

Ancy Sojan, who led after the first two rounds with 6.29m efforts and the fourth round with a 6.35m leap, finished second ahead of World U20 silver medalist Shaili Singh. The Uttar Pradesh teenager, who trains in Bengaluru, came with a best effort of 6.27m in her first meet since the U20 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi in August last year.

The 26-year-old Nayana had a fouled jump of 5.99m on her first two efforts but took the lead in the third round with a 6.30m leap, 1cm more than Ancy’s two best jumps until then. After Ancy responded with a 6.35m effort in the fourth round, Nayana leapt 6.37m twice to seal the title while her 21-year-old team-mate fouled her last two jumps.

From the home fans’ point of view, Amiya Kumar Mallick and Aryan Ekka’s 1-2 in the men’s 100m sprint was pleasing. The Odisha sprinters drew from one another in the second of the four races in the dash. Maharashtra’s Karan Vivek Hegiste was the best of the other sprinters to take the bronze medal.

Other results:
Men
100m (Races A, B, C and D combined): 1. Amiya Kumar Mallick (Odisha) 10.74 seconds; 2. Aryan Ekka (Odisha) 10.86; 3. Karan Vivek Hegiste (Maharashtra) 10.95.
400m (Races A, B, C and D combined): 1. K Saran (Tamil Nadu) 47.42 seconds; 2. Ayush Dabas (Haryana) 47.49; 3. Rashid (Delhi) 48.28.
Discus Throw: 1. Kirpal Singh (Punjab) 59.92m; 2. Ranvir Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 50.36; 3. Ikram Khan (Madhya Pradesh) 48.45.
Women
400m: 1. R Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 53.95 seconds; 2. GK Vijayakumari (Karnataka) 54.67; 3. Soniya Baishya (West Bengal) 54.78.
Pole Vault: 1. Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.05m; 2. Rosy Meena Paulraj (Tamil Nadu) 4.00; 3. Preethika Anandhan (Tamil Nadu) 3.40.
Discus Throw: 1. Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (Punjab) 54.79m; 2. Seema Antil (Uttar Pradesh) 53.57; 3. Nidhi Rani (Haryana) 49.85.