Manikanta Hoblidhar made a bold statement, clocks 10:19 seconds in the 100 metres clinching Gold.

Manikanta Hoblidhar representing SSCB (Service Sports Control Board) made a bold statement here at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium (Moradabadi) on Sunday. The 24 years old Army’s sprinter clocks 10 Minutes19 Seconds on his way to winning gold to better his own meet record of 10:23 Seconds set in 2023 in Bengaluru: Hoblidhar rocketed off the blocks and powered his way to the finish line.

The former national 100 metres record holder raised his hands in jubilation when he crossed the finish line: His winning time of 10:19 Seconds fell short of Animesh Kujur’s national 100 metres record of 10:18 Seconds. “I was confident of improving my personal best today”, the 100m champion said in a post-race interaction. “I had the strength and energy to further raise the bar in the 100m dash but just fell short”.

Hoblidhar’s Gold Medal performance (10:19 seconds) today was his season and personal best: His previous best was 10:22 seconds clocked earlier in March.

This season the 100 metres dash was very competitive. Maharashtra’s Pranav Gaurav, 24, finished second with a time of 10:31 seconds: Third place went to 21years old Harsh Raut of SSCB who clocked 10:38 Seconds.

The women’s 100 metres title went to Sneha SS of Karnataka. Her winning time was 11:62 seconds, “I wanted to win: I’m happy to have won gold in the season ending competition”.

The women’s 100 metres title was supposed to be as competitive as men but Tamil Nadu’s Abinaya Rajarajan, fancied to win gold, wasn’t at her best and finished third (11:67 Seconds), flaring up a groin issue: Maharashtra’s Sudeshna Shivankar was second (11:64 Seconds).

The men’s quarter-miler was also a big attraction: Olympian Rajesh Ramesh, who was making a comeback after a brief hiatus, raced to victory with a season best of 45:75 seconds. His gold medal winning time fell short of the meet record of 45:70 seconds set by Rajiv Arokia in Kolkata in 2015.

The women’s 400 metres title went to Neeru Pathak of Uttar Pradesh, whose time was 52:85 seconds: Olimba Steffi of Railway Sports was second with a time of 53:75 Seconds: Karnataka’s Priya Mohan made a comeback to win third spot with a time of 54:04 Seconds.

Tamil Nadu’s Gobika K, winner of women’s high jump gold (1:79 metres), injured her right knee on the last jump and was taken to hospital.

Results (Day-Two) –

Men:

100 Metres: Manikanta Hoblidhar (SSCB) 10:19 seconds (meet record: previous 10:23 Seconds by Manikanta in 2023), Pranav Gurav (Maharashtra) 10:31 Seconds, Harsh Raut (SSCB) 10:38 Seconds.

400 Metres: Rajesh Ramesh (Railway Sports) 45:75 seconds, Santhosh T (SSCB) 46:05 Seconds, Rashid (Madhya Pradesh) 46:23 Seconds.

1500 Metres: Sunil Dawar (SSCB) 3:46:27 seconds, Arjun Waskale (Madhya Pradesh) 3:46:70 Seconds, Ritesh Ohre (Railway Sports) 3:47:39 Seconds.

110 Metres Hurdles: Manav R (Railway Sports) 13:97 seconds, Krishik M (Karnataka) 14:02 Seconds, Dhanush Adithan G (Tamil Nadu) 14:39 Seconds.

Discus Throw: Kirpal Singh (ONGC) 56:33 Metres, Nirbhay Singh (Haryana) 54:95 Metres, Dharamraj Yadav (SSCB) 54:89 Metres.

Decathlon: Usaid (SSCB) 7212 points, Kushal Mohite (Maharashtra) 7102 points, Stalin Jones (SSCB) 7090 points.

Women:

100 Metres: Sneha SS (Karnataka) 11:62 seconds, Sudeshna Shivankar (Maharashtra) 11:64 Seconds, Abinaya Rajarajan (Tamil Nadu) 11:67 Seconds.

400 Metres: Neeru Pathak (Uttar Pradesh) 52:85 seconds, Olimba Steffi (Railway Sports) 53:75 Seconds, Priya Mohan (Karnataka) 54:04 Seconds.

1500 Metres: Lili Das (Railway Sports) 4:15:59 seconds, Sanjana Singh (Haryana) 4:15:89 Seconds, Kajal Kanwade (Gujarat) 4:17:97 Seconds.

100 Metres Hurdles: Nandhini K (Tamil Nadu) 13:57 seconds, Moumita Mondal (Railway Sports) 13:84 Seconds, Shreeya Rajesh (Karnataka) 13:91 Seconds.

High Jump: Gobika K (Tamil Nadu) 1:79 Metres, Supriya B (Railway Sports) 1:73 Metres, Reet Rathor (Uttar Pradesh) 1:73 Metres.

Shot Put: Yogita (Railway Sports) 16:52 Metres, Shiksha (Haryana) 15:92 Metres, Vidhi (Railway Sports) 15:18 Metres.

Mixed 4×400 Metres Relay: Uttar Pradesh 3:23:62 seconds, Punjab 3:24:78 Seconds, Tamil Nadu 3:25:46 Seconds.

Team Maverick