KOLKATA: As many as 31 athletes from Odisha will participate in the 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition in Tumkur, Karnataka, which begins on Friday. The event offers a chance to qualify for the U20 World Athletics and U20 Asian Athletics championships.
Key Athletes to Watch
Sprinter Pratik Maharana, who has already achieved the U20 Worlds qualifying mark in the 200m, will be in the spotlight. Another athlete to watch is Ommkar Prasad Nanda, who is eager to make his mark in shot put.
Ommkar Prasad Nanda's Ambitions
Nanda won U20 shot put gold at both the Indian Open Throws Competition and the National Indoor Competition this year. Despite topping the podium on both occasions, he was not satisfied and is aiming to surpass the U20 Worlds qualifying mark of 18.30m.
"I have been training for years and hope to finally taste the fruits of my hard work," said Nanda. The 18-year-old, who has a personal best of 18.46m, missed the mark by 0.06m with a throw of 18.24m at the National Junior Athletics Championships last year but is confident of making it to both international events.
To fulfill his dreams, he has worked extensively over the past few months. "In these six months, I've focused a lot on correcting my technique and rotation. I also paid more attention to strength training, working on mobility and addressing areas where I had deficiencies," said Nanda, who trains under Malaya Ranjan Pati at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Coach's Confidence
Pati is confident that Nanda will achieve the feat. "Earlier, the training load was higher because of which he didn't perform that well but now he is in optimum shape and should easily go past the U20 Worlds qualifying mark. Also, he always performs well on the big stage," said the coach.
Inspiration from Reese Hoffa
Having taken up the sport after watching the Asian Athletics in 2017 in Bhubaneswar, Nanda wants to follow in the footsteps of US shot-putter Reese Hoffa, who is also on the shorter side compared to most shot putters. "I'm 5'9". When people say you don't have the height to progress, I tell them to look at Reese Hoffa. He was throwing 22 metres at 5'11 and dominated the world. So, height doesn't matter," Nanda added.
Other Notable Athletes
Among others, Bapi Hansda will also be in focus. The 400m runner competed at the U20 Worlds in Lima 2024 but missed most of last season due to injury. He returned in December and won bronze at the National Indoor Games with a time of 49.18 seconds, though qualification for major events remains unlikely.
Players like Ankita Mohapatra, a hammer thrower, are not eyeing qualification but want to give their best and grab medals for Odisha. "Earlier, athletes from Haryana and Punjab used to dominate, and people would even mock us, saying, 'What can Odisha athletes do?' But we ignored those comments, won medals and proved that athletes from Odisha can also succeed at the highest level," said Mohapatra, whose mother, Kadambini Das, used to run hurdles and has been one of her biggest supporters.
Whether she can win a medal remains to be seen, but a few more qualifications for major events would certainly underline the progress Odisha athletes are making.
