Inter-State Athletics: Sarvesh, Tajinder move close to Paris Olympics qualification

Panchkula, Haryana: With multiple Paris Olympics qualification berths at stake, Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Tajinderpal Singh Toor almost secured their Paris Olympics berth at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships on Saturday.

While the official confirmation is yet to come, both Sarvesh and Tajinder are ranked 29th and 25th respectively in the Road To Paris rankings by World Athletics.

The qualification date is 30th June 2024 and with their gold medal wins, Sarvesh and Tajinder will earn more points to strengthen their position.

There were heartbreaks too as Tejaswin Shankar in the high jump and Jeswin Aldrin in the long jump failed to get close to the desired ranking. While Tejaswin was at 38th, Jeswin's poor performance might hamper his qualification.

Jeswin was in 32nd place before the event and with a poor jump of 7.75m and second-place finish, his 32nd rank is in jeopardy at the moment.

Sarvesh records his season-best

Sarvesh and Tejaswin were locked in the men's high jump battle where Sarvesh jumped 2.25m while Tejaswin was at 2.21m. 

This was the season best of Sarvesh who strengthened his position in the Road to Paris rankings and is set to qualify for the Olympics.

While Tejaswin struggled with his rhythm after 2.18m, Sarvesh cleared 2.25m with ease and went for the National record. His attempts at 2.30m failed but the podium finish ensured that he was going to Paris.

"I was having some issues with my ankle and hence missed the 2.30m mark or else it would have been the national record," Sarvesh told The Bridge on the sidelines.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor dominates shot put

Despite an issue with his ankle, Tajinderpal Singh Toor continued his domination in men's shot put and won the gold medal with a throw of 19.93m.

Tajinder was consistent and threw over 19m consistently. 

Placed 25th in the Road To Paris rankings, Tajinder has consolidated his position and will be featuring in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He will work on his recovery now to be 100% before the Olympics.

Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary win Steeplechase

India's best men and women steeplechaser, Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary eased to their victory in the 3000m Steeplechase.

Avinash Sable ran in the "training mode" and clocked a slow 8-minute 31.75 seconds to win the race under humid conditions. Currently training in Colorado Springs, USA, Avinash is saving himself for the upcoming Paris Diamond League next week.

"We don't want too many events before the Olympics. So, it was a plan to run less and to have more training. I am hoping to start peaking this month only. I will take part in the Paris Diamond League (on July 7) and then will be in Europe before the Paris Olympics," Sable said after the win.

  In the women's 3000m steeplechase, another Paris Olympics-bound runner Parul Chaudhary easily won gold, and just like Sable, timing was not her concern as well. Parul clocked a modest 9:45.70 while her national record stands at 9:15.31.