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Junior National meet from today

By Our Sports Reporter

SHIMOGA Jan. 6. Enthusiasm of the organisers surely did not reflect the preparation of the tracks at the Nehru Stadium here on the eve of the 18th Junior National athletics championship. The five-day event is scheduled to be inaugurated on Tuesday.

If the organising committee's offices was a beehive of activity with teams from far and wide trooping in, the eight-lane tracks and the run-up for the long jump pit looked woefully lacking in finish. And the beleaguered `manager of the meet', A. Rajavelu, also the joint secretary of the host association, the Karnataka Amateur Athletic Association (KAAA), was seen running around trying to get everything in place for the big meet.

Also, the last minute change of plans by Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, who is scheduled to inaugurate the championship, did not help matters. The inauguration, originally scheduled for the afternoon, has been advanced to the morning and with the cinder tracks needing prompt markings, the five-day event has been cramped to finish in four. Only four field events will be held on Tuesday.

Over 1,400 athletes from 26 States, barring Jammu & Kashmir and Meghalaya, both of who have not sent in entries, will converge in this district headquarters which is also known as the gateway of the Malnad region.

Karnataka is fielding the biggest contingent of 140 athletes followed by reigning champion Kerala and other powerhouse from the south--Tamil Nadu.

S. Geeta, the Asian Junior 400-metres champion from Andhra Pradesh along with State-mate P. Shankar, the 400-metres hurdler, who won a bronze in the Asian event, will be the cynosure along with Karnataka's best bet, Bindu Rani (400m), and Haryana's Monica Joon (shot put and discuss throw). Tamil Nadu's M. Sangeeta in the high jump should also hit the limelight given good conditions.

Karnataka's chef de mission Uday Prabhu sounded optimistic about the host doing better than the time, in Chennai, where thrower Reena Rodrigues won the solitary gold for the State.

"We expect to win at least four-five gold medals this time around," said Mr Prabhu, a former international athlete.

But all predictions could go haywire unless the conditions improve overnight. The twice re-laid cinder tracks look uneven at the bends and not hard enough to take the pounding.

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