RANCHI: On the opening day of the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition at Birsa Munda Stadium, Morabadi, Uttarakhand's Deepak Bhatt clocked 29:42.93 in the men's 10,000m to secure the top spot. Bhatt not only won his first national medal but also recorded a personal best, surging ahead in the final lap to overtake Karnataka's Shivaji Parashuram, who suffered severe dehydration and collapsed at the finish line.
Parashuram was in such bad shape that he had to be carried off the track and took a while to recover. Although he finished second, he was later disqualified under World Athletics Technical Rule 17.2.4 for stepping outside the track limits. The heat and humidity were challenging despite the 6:25 am start, and as many as eight athletes did not finish the race.
Indian chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair refrained from blaming the weather. He said, "It was definitely humid, there's no doubt about that. But most athletes are trained to compete in such conditions. Even now, if you look anywhere, temperatures are high across places, so you can't really blame that alone. However, those who are not properly trained to run in these conditions can struggle and may get dehydrated."
Also struggling during the race was Kartik Karkera, the orthopedic surgeon who made headlines by winning back-to-back marathons and qualifying for the Asian Games. He was lapped at one stage and finished in 32:03.14.
After Parashuram's disqualification, Shailesh Kushwaha of Karnataka was placed second with a time of 29:57.56, while Uttar Pradesh's Prashant Choudhary finished third in 30:36.97.
In the women's 10,000m, the title went to Ravina Gayakwad of Maharashtra, who clocked 35:30.98. Uttarakhand's Soniya was second in 36:16.22, while Aarti Pawara of Maharashtra finished third in 36:24.79.
