Records Shattered on Day One of National Junior Athletics Championships

Records fell like dominoes at the 23rd National Junior (U-20) Federation Athletics Championships, inaugurated Sunday at Madan Mohan Malaviya Sports Complex. Spectators witnessed thrilling performances from distance runners, with eight male athletes surpassing the existing 3000m track record during the morning session.

Tamil Nadu's Kavinraja S highlighted the day by setting a new pole vault record, narrowly surpassing the previous benchmark with a soaring jump of 5.11m. In sprint events, Himanshu from Haryana and Nipam from Uttar Pradesh showcased their blistering speed to emerge as the fastest athletes of the meet.

The men's 3000m race was particularly captivating, as Madhya Pradesh's Vinod Singh claimed gold, besting his rivals with a time of 8:14.22 seconds, shattering Ajay's 2021 record. The track and field event boasted other remarkable performances, marking a memorable start to the championships.

(With inputs from agencies.)