Mishra, Luka, Diamri steal concluding day's thunder

Pune, May 24 (UNI) Maharashtra's Dhiraj Mishra, Kerala's Tintu Luka and Uttrakhand's Pankaj Dimari created new national marks in their respective sections and stole the concluding day's thunder, as the curtain was rung down on the 8th Federation Cup (Junior) and the 5th Youth National athletic championship here today.

The South Asian Federation (SAF) games gold medalist Mishra in a sterling effort set a new national mark in the boys under-18 triple jump event with a leap clearing 15.37 meters and in the process obliterated his own national mark of 15.36 by merely one millimeter to capture the gold in the boys under-18 event.

Ankit Sharma of Madhya Pradesh had to rest content with the silver with a leap of 14.83 meters and Carl Brito of Karnataka took the bronze clearing 14.47 meters.

Tintu Luka won the 800 meters run for girls under-20, stopping the clock at 2:05:21 and in the process erased K Benamol's mark of 2:0773, created 16 years back in March 1992.

Her statemate Bindu claimed the silver, clocking 2:06:71 and B E Indra of Karnataka bagged the bronze in a time of 2:19:62.

Pankaj Dimri of Uttrakhand had to wage a grim battle before winning the 800 meters race for boys under-19, setting a new national mark in bargain of 1:53:08. The lad, thus, bettered the previous record standing in the name of P Trinadh of 1:53:56, created in 2005. Somra Oraon of Jharkhand lifted the silver with a time of 1:54:56 and Dattatraya Zodge of Maharashtra claimed the silver recording a time of 1:57:71.

Jithin Paul of Kerala won the 400 meters hurdles for boys under 20, setting a new meet mark of 51.94 seconds and in the process sunk the pervious mark of 52.14 secs of Harminder Singh of Punjab in October 2002.

Shejil Verghese also of Kerala, took the silver with an effort of 52.14 seconds, while Darme Dhar Mahanta of Orissa bagged the bronze with a time of 54.42 seconds.

Amiya Kumar Mallick of Orissa won the 200 meters sprint for boys under-18, establishing a new meet mark of 21.91 seconds.

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