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Amlan Borgohain was the hero of the Indian Grand Prix 4 at the Kanteerava track in Bengaluru after completing the sprint doubles, winning both the 100m and 200m. He did the same thing earlier this week at the Indian Grand Prix 3.
Another standout performance was Beranica Elangovan's spectacular personal best of 4.10m in the pole vault (only missing the national record after previously winning while trying 4.22m).
Jyothi Yarraji raced a personal best of 23.60 seconds in the 200m into a stiff headwind, winning a commanding victory over the incumbent national champion. Reliance Foundation athletes finished first, second, and third in the men's sprints, and first and second in the men's 200m.
"Overall, a really productive competition," said James Hillier, Director of Athletics at the Reliance Foundation. “Delighted that the athletes have got numerous personal bests and several wins across a host of different events. A big congratulations to all the athletes and their personal coaches.”
There were 10 personal best results from seven Reliance Foundation competitors throughout both Indian Grand Prix events. Tejas Shirse (110m Hurdles in 13.81 seconds) and Ragul Kumar (400m in 48.48 seconds) set personal bests at the Indian Grand Prix 3.
Personal bests at Indian Grand Prix 4 included Baranica Elangovan (Women's Pole Vault with 4.10m, Jyothi Yarraji (200m in 23.60), Sapna Kumari (100m in 12.20s), Animesh Kujur (100m in 10.69), Ragul Kumar (100m in 10.77), Laxmipriya Kisan (400 m in 59.37s), Kishore Jena (Men's Javelin Throw with 77.22m) and Tejas Shirse (100m in 10.89 seconds) and (200m in 21.96s).
Tejas' 200m effort was his third personal best in three events, capping off an incredible week.
Coach James impressed with athletes performances
What particularly impressed James were the competitors who achieved personal bests amid significant headwinds. The -2.0m/s headwind in the Men's 100m Race A, for example, did not dissuade any of RF's competitors, with Amlan Borgohain, Ragul, and Tejas demonstrating their skill and tenacity despite the terrible circumstances.
"Any personal best at this time in the season is a bonus, but to get several personal bests shows that athletes have been training well and are ready to perform well even later in the season."
Given that the Indian Grand Prix 3 and 4 were the athletics season openers, the coach is better informed of his game plan for the next months.
"I think what is really pleasing is that we have got some good information on our athletes, and we know exactly what we need to work on now over the next few weeks as we go into the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in June, the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in July, and then international competitions from July until September.”
Coach James is sure that the athletes will do even better in the forthcoming tournaments after ironing out a few kinks and making some modifications.
He continued by saying, “I have been delighted with the performances and times, and it is reassuring from a coach’s perspective that things are moving in the right direction. It’s great to get a couple of season competitions under your belt, as it helps blow out the cobwebs for the remainder of the season.”
