Bhubaneswar, SSeptember 26: Ten promising athletes from Odisha are set to showcase their talent at the 4th Indian Open U23 Athletics Competition 2024, which will be held from September 28 to 30 in Patna, Bihar.
These athletes, all of whom train at the Odisha RF Athletics High-Performance Centre, will compete across a range of events, representing the state on the national stage and include include Animesh Kujur and Reyan Basha, who will compete in both the 100m and 200m sprints, along with Abhisekh Dalabehera and Sukhi Baskey in the 100m. Astik Pradhan is set to run the 400m, while Jashbir Nayak will participate in the decathlon. Laxmipriya Kisan and Dayanidhi Munda will compete in the 800m, Nikhil Kumar Das in the high jump, and Susmita Tigga in the 3000m steeplechase.
Speaking about the athletes’ preparations, Martin Owens, the Head Coach at the Odisha RF Athletics High-Performance Centre, expressed his optimism “This group of athletes has been putting in tremendous effort, and their dedication is evident in their recent performances. Each one of them has a great chance to make their mark at the U23 competition. The hard work they’ve put in at our High-Performance Centre will reflect in their results, and we’re confident that they’ll make Odisha proud.”
The competition is expected to be a significant step forward for these athletes and will serve as qualification for senior SAAF.
Recently, Odisha’s Pratik Maharana, Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram, Mahendra Santa, Sabita Toppo and Laxmi Priya Kisan represented India in the SAAF Junior Championships. They added 4 silvers and 1 bronze to India’s medal tally in 4 individual and 1 team events.
