A day ahead of the 26th sub-junior and junior National athletics championships here, the Sree Kanteerava Stadium was, as expected, a hive of activity.
With athletes from all 26 states having arrived, almost everything was in readiness for Wednesday's event. The last inter-state meet the venue hosted was the South Zone championships in August — a drab, miserable affair. But with the junior Nationals regarded as a more significant event, the four-day event is slated to feature nearly 2000 first-string athletes, suggesting much excitement.
Kerala has finished overall champion for the last 14 years, and there has been nothing to suggest that things will turn out differently this time. G.K. Pillai, one of Kerala's four-member coaching team, exuded complete confidence. “Last year, we won a record number of medals,” he said, alluding to its haul of 24 gold, 30 silver and 17 bronze medals.
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