Athletics
World Athletics Championships: Sprinter Dhanalakshmi yet to get visa process done
Dhanalakshmi Sekar is yet to complete her US visa formalities, which was the reason why her name was not to be seen in the list released by World Athletics.
Dhanalakshmi (Source: The Hindu)
Ace Indian 200m runner Dhanalakshmi Sekar is yet to complete her US visa formalities, which was the reason why her name was not to be seen in the list of Indian participants released by the international track and field governing body for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA.
Dhanalakshmi on June 30 was named in the 22-member Indian team for the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA. But now, it could be difficult for her to take part in the showpiece as she is even yet to complete visa formalities.
"My visa is yet to be done. My first visa appointment got cancelled, so trying to get it done," she said from Thiruvananthapuram where she is currently training.
The Tamil Nadu athlete could not breach the automatic qualification standard of 22.80s but made the cut for the World Championships through world rankings.
On June 26, she had run her personal best time of 22.89s to win 200m gold at the Qosanov Memorial Athletics Meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan and become only the third Indian woman to run sub-23s after national record holder Saraswati Saha (22.82s) and Hima Das (22.88s). Dhanalakshmi had won a 200m gold at the national Inter-Sate Championships in Chennai in mid-June with a time of 23.27s.
The list of Indian participants put up in the World Athletics website also does not have 4x400m relay team contender Arokia Rajiv, who had pulled out of the second trial conducted on Friday in Patiala.
Quarter-miler Aishwarya Mishra and long jumper Jeswin Aldrin's names were present in the list but they are unlikely to feature in the showpiece event as they produced worse performances in the second trial on Friday compared to earlier one on Monday in Thiruvananthapuram.
