Khelo India: Punjab's Kunwer Rana bags gold in U-17 javelin

Punjab's Kunwer Ajai Raj Singh Rana was the star of the athletics competition in the Khelo India Youth Games 2019 here Thursday with a 75.40m throw that earned him the Under-17 javelin throw gold.

Rana gave himself an early birthday gift with the gold medal.

The thrower, who trains at the Punjab Institute of Sports, will turn 17 Saturday and had finished sixth at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, a media release said.

He ran out a fairly comfortable winner without matching the 77.22m which he posted as his personal best in Delhi on December 17.

Sixteen-year-old Suraj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) came up with a personal best throw of 73.42m which was enough only to keep his nose ahead of Sudama Yadav (Bihar) for the second place.

Meanwhile, Maharashtras tribal wonder Tai Bamhane, who clocked a personal best time of 4:25.66 in the Asian Area qualification leg of the Youth Olympic Games, was not at her best in the girls under-17 1500m final.

Having decided late to enter the competition, she tried to go past Uttarakhands Ankita and Haryanas Pooja with a lap to go, but did not have the energy to sustain her pace.

Tamil Nadus Karuniya Muthuramalingam, who turns 19 on Friday, was another athlete who gifted herself an early birthday present with the girls Under-21 discus throw title, beating back Arpandeep Kaur Bajwa (Punjab) and Seema from Haryana, the release added.

Arpandeep, 19, had come here on the back of a personal best of 49.97m in the Inter-University championships.

Karuniya, however, came up with an effort of 46.60m that was her best since the 48.58m she recorded at the South Asian U20 championship last May.