Indian sports wrap, January 16: Hammer thrower Tanya breaks Sarita’s nine-year-old National record
ATHLETICS
Hammer thrower Tanya breaks Sarita’s nine-year-old National record
This is an early season for athletes in the country, and with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games lined up, this is going to be a long year for them.
Still, Chandigarh University’s international Tanya Chaudhary broke Sarita Singh’s nine-year-old National record with an effort of 65.60m to take the women’s hammer throw gold at the 85th National Inter-University Athletics Championship at the Swarajya Stadium, Moodubidiri, on Friday.
“I expected more than that, at least 67m. This season the target is near 70m, we are preparing for that,” Tanya told this publication.
“In 2024, I was with Reliance and the coach there changed my technique. That didn’t suit me, and my last season was not good. So I came back home to train under Sachin Yadav, who had coached me earlier…he changed my technique and workout plan, and that helped,” explained Tanya about the massive jump in her performance for her previous best was 63.91m in Chennai last August.
It was the first National record of this five-day event, which concluded today, but it won’t be considered as an Indian record as the Athletics Federation of India does not recognise university meets.
Not tested
Strangely, Tanya was not dope-tested after her performance here. “There was no dope test today but NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) can take my sample anywhere, any time so there is nothing like that. Anyway, since this is not a World Athletics-certified competition, it will not be considered as a National record but it’s a meet record for sure,” said the 23-year-old.
Pooja hits a high
Tanya’s National record almost went unnoticed as all the focus was on young high jumper Pooja, the Asian champion. With the rest of the field fading away after 1.72m, the 18-year-old made a bold move and attempted a personal best 1.90m after bettering her own meet record with 1.85m. She failed in all her attempts at 1.90 but was not disappointed at all.
The 18-year-old made a bold move and attempted a personal best 1.90m after bettering her own meet record with 1.85m.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The 18-year-old made a bold move and attempted a personal best 1.90m after bettering her own meet record with 1.85m.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“My target this year is to clear 1.93m and break the national record (Sahana Kumari’s 1.92, 2012) and my goals are the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Juniors,” said Lovely Professional University’s Pooja, the junior national record holder, who raised her personal best to 1.89m while winning the Asian gold in South Korea last May.
“Our team wants Pooja to do 1.93m this year; this is the dream,” said Uzbek Sergey Beeran, who coaches her at the Anju Bobby Centre in Bengaluru with the Olympic Gold Quest supporting her.
Madras University won the overall title while Mangalore University, virtually the Alva’s Education Foundation team, which hosted this five-day meet, finished runner-up.
The results:
Men:
200m: 1. Gokul Pandian (SRM) 21.22s, 2. Prasannakumar V. Mannu (Dharwad) 21.55, 3. S.R. Rohan (Mahatma Gandhi, Kottayam) 21.55.
5000m: 1. Gaurav (Mahatma Jyoti Phule) 14:04.01s, 2. Princeraj Yadav (ASM) 14:04.19, 3. Sachin Yadav (RIMT) 14:08.02.
4x400m relay: 1. Mangalore (3:08.45s new meet record, OR Kerala 3:09.31, 2024), 2. Madras (3:09.17, BMR), 3. Panjab (3:09.90).
Long jump: 1. Sarun Prayasingh (Sambalpur) 7.43m, 2. Sharon Justus (Manomaniam Sundaran) 7.29, 3. Yash Khanvilkar (Mumbai) 7.26.
Hammer throw: Mo Nadeem (Mangalore) 61.74m, 2. Muttappa (Yenepoya DBU) 61.00, 3. Jatin Kumar Repswal (PDUSU, Sikar) 59.52.
Women:
200m: 1. Parthipa Selvaraj (Madras) 24.11s, 2. N. Sreena (Mahatma Gandhi, Kottayam) 24.25, 3. Sonia (Chandigarh) 24.38.
5000m: 1. Soni Devi (ASM) 16:50.98s, 2. N. Pournami (Mahatma Gandhi, Ktm) 16:51.62, 3. Milali Deepak Bhoyar (Rashtrasant Tukdoji)16:51.71.
4x400m relay: 1. Panjab University (3:42.65s), 2. Madras (3:43.71), 3. Mangalore (3:45.26).
High jump: 1. Pooja (Lovely Professional) 1.85m (new meet record, OR, own, 1.84, 2024), 2. Jonika Pahal (Chandigarh) 1.72, 3. Jamod Payalben (Swarmin Gujarat) 1.72.
Hammer throw: 1. Tanya Chaudhary (Chandigarh) 65.60m (new National record, old Sarita Singh’s 65.25, 2017; old meet record Tanya’s 62.62m, 2023), 2. Nandni (Chandigarh) 61.84, 3. Grima (Lovely Professional) 56.46.
Championships:
Overall: 1. Madras University (134 points), 2. Mangalore University (109), 3. Chandigarh (89).
Team: Men: Madras (74 pts), 2. Mangalore (60), 3. MDU, Rohtak (29).
Women: 1. Chandigarh (67 pts), 2. Madras (47), 3. Mangalore (38).
-Stan Rayan
TENNIS
Bhambri-Goransson pair loses in Auckland Open semifinals
Top seeds Yuki Bhambri and Andre Goransson lost in the men’s doubles semifinals at Auckland Open, an ATP 250 event, on Friday.
Bhambri and Goransson lost 6-4, 4-6, [10-8] to the Austrian-American duo of Alexander Erler and Robert Galloway.
Earlier, the Indo-Swedish duo took down the all-Czech pair of Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl, and wildcards Ajeet Rai (New Zealand) and Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) in the first two rounds.
-Team Sportstar
SQUASH
Tandon goes down in Detroit quarters
Ramit Tandon, world no. 41, lost to Egyptian eighth seed Yahya Elnawasany 5-11, 6-11, 5-11 in the men’s quarterfinals of the DR21 Motor City Open squash, a PSA Silver-level tournament, in Detroit on Thursday.
-Team Sportstar
Published on Jan 16, 2026