CHENNAI, Sept 9: A star-studded field, including 10 London Olympic Games participants, will be in action in the four-day 52nd National Senior Open Athletic Championship starting here tomorrow.
The 26 defending champions from last year are also expected to create some enthusiasm at the The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Athletes from the Indian Railways, who have been dominating the event for the past several years, are once again start as favourites.
Discus thrower Krishna Poonia, distance runner Preeja Sreedharan, ace hurdler Joseph G Abraham, and sprinter Tintu Luka are the few top names in the Railways squad.
Shot putter Om Prakash Singh Karhana, triple jumper Mayookha Johny and track star Kavita Raut will be in the ONGC squad.
Race walker K T Irfan leads the Services team.Hosts Tamil Nadu is fielding a strong 54-member team, which includes 23 women. Long jumper K Prem Kumar and hurdler G Gayathri, who is making a comeback after a two-year hiatus, are the leading contenders from the state team.
The Athletics Federation of India is introducing qualification rounds for men’s field events like in the Olympic Games and World championships.
The qualification rounds will help the athletes avoid long wait for their chance. (PTI)
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