Fed Cup Athletics: Lalita Babar, Sudha Singh make Rio cuts on Day 2

Lalita Babar broke her own record to clinch the gold in the 3,000 metre steeplchase on the second day of the Federation Cup in New Delhi on Friday.

Olympics-bound Lalita Babar on Friday smashed her own national record to clinch the gold while Sudha Singh too made the Rio Games cut with a silver medal effort in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase on the second and penultimate day of the Federation Cup national athletics championships here.

Rajiv Arokiya set the day’s second national record while winning the gold in the men’s 400m race with a timing of 45.47secs. He though missed the Rio Olympics qualification standard of 45.40secs by 0.7secs at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Sudha’s was the first Olympic qualifying effort in the Championships.

Two national records were created on the first day with Dutee Chand (women’s 100m) and Amiya Kumar Mallick (men’s 100m), both from Orissa, clocking 11.33secs and 10.26secs respectively, though the duo could not seal Rio berths.

Maharashtra’s Babar, who has already qualified for the Olympics in both the 3,000m steeplechase and the marathon, clocked 9:27.09 to win the gold and set the national record in world leading time while Sudha, representing Uttar Pradesh, came up with a timing of 9:31.86 and bettered the Rio Games qualification standard of 9:45.00. Asian champion Babar recorded the world leading time though it is very early in the season.

Sudha has also qualified for the Olympics in marathon but the Athletics Federation of Indian officials said that both she and Babar will compete in the 3,000m steeplechase in Rio and not in marathon.

Meanwhile, Arokiya of Tamil Nadu ran the best ever 400m race in India by an Indian by clocking 45.47secs to beat young Mohammad Anas Yahiya (45.74s) of Kerala. The earlier national record of 45.48secs was in the name of K.M. Binu of Kerala, set in 2004 Athens Olympics.

In the women’s 400m race, Anilda Thomas (52.40secs) of Kerala won the gold in an upset as she pipped M.R. Poovamma (52.60 secs) of ONGC to the second spot. Anilda’s time missed the Rio qualification by 0.2 secs. Another ONGC athlete Jauna Murmu (53.37s) bagged the bronze.

Gold for Poonia In the women’s discus throw, 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Krishna Poonia, who was returning to top-flight competition after a long injury lay-off, won the gold with an effort of 55.09m.

Haryana’s Sandeep Kumari bagged the silver with a throw of 54.93m while Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (53.65m) of ONGC took the bronze.

As expected, the women’s 1,500m race title went to O.P. Jaisha (4:18.69). Her Kerala state-mate P.U. Chitra collected the silver in a distant 4:29.17 and Haryana’s Adesh Kumari got the bronze (4:30.58).