KOCHI: Long jumper V. Neena has cleared the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) confirmatory trial for the Asian Games but her Kerala statemate Nayana James will have to wait for the selectors’ approval before going to Jakarta.
Neena, the silver medallist at last year’s Asian championships in Bhubaneswar who has a personal best of 6.66m, came up with a 6.38m effort in the AFI’s confirmatory trials at Thiruvananthapuram’s Central Stadium on Wednesday.
Nayana, who was troubled by an injury during the inter-State Nationals at Guwahati in June, managed a best of 6.24m. The AFI had fixed 6.34m as the qualification mark for the Asiad, which begins on Saturday.
“There was a lot of water inside the stadium due to rain. It was almost like a swimming pool and it was very windy too,” Romanian Bedros Bedrosian, the national coach for jumps, told The Hindu from Thiruvananthapuram.
AFI secretary C.K. Valson, who supervised the trials, said he would mention the conditions in his report to the federation.
“Neena qualifies. Regarding Nayana, I will have to report it to the selection committee. She did not do well in the inter-State meet but she had qualified from earlier meets,” said Valson. “It was raining heavily here, I will mention it in my report.”
Nayana, who has a personal best of 6.55m which came last year in Patiala, has a season’s best of 6.51m at the Federation Cup in Patiala in March.
Meanwhile, Karnataka high jumper B. Chethan, who was also asked to undergo the trial, produced a 2.11m under the dismal conditions.
Chethan, who will be 26 on the Asiad’s opening day, had achieved the qualification standard of 2.25m at the Guwahati Nationals and, considering the conditions and lack of competition, the selectors are likely to treat his case and Nayana’s favourably.
