Bhubaneswar: The big-ticket track and field competition, AFI Indian Grand Prix 4, is set to kick off at Kalinga Stadium here from May 21.
Odisha’s track stalwarts Srabani Nanda and Amiya Mallick in the 200 m race in women and men’s category are the favourites on the home turf. But, the spotlight could be on Triple Jump and the women’s throws where Abha Khatua and Manpreet Kaur (Shot Put), Navjeet Kaur Dhillion (Discus Throw) and Sarita Ramit Singh (Hammer Throw) will seek the limelight.
This will be 31-year-old Nanda’s first National-level competition in India in nearly four years. Using Kingston, Jamaica, as her training base, she has a creditable 23.68-second 200 m as on March 26 as her best this year. With the cream of India’s women’s sprinting talent now in Turkey, she will have to look inwards to find the pace.
There will be no such challenge at the Triple Jump pit which can produce high quality competition with Eldhose Paul, Abdulla Aboobacker, Karthik Unnikrishnan and Gauly Venister Devasahayam pushing one another. Eldhose Paul (16.99m) and Karthik Unnikrishnan (16.81), season leaders in India, will seek to showcase consistency.
Navjeet Kaur Dhillon will make her first appearance in a National-level Discus Throw competition since September 19, 2021, when she won the National Open Championships with a best effort of 54.49m. The vastly experienced Sarita Romit Singh is the only 60m-plus Hammer Thrower in the field.
The last National-level athletics competition in Bhubaneswar was the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in 2018, a year after the majestic Kalinga Stadium hosted the Asian Athletics Championships.
Competitions begin on Saturday with men’s Pole Vault at 5 pm and conclude with the men and women’s 5000m events.
