Project to groom budding athletes launched

With an elusive track-and-field Olympic medal on mind, National Yuva Cooperative Society and GAIL (India) Limited launched a grassroots athletics project here today.
Launched by pace legend PT Usha, the GAIL-Indian Speed Star project will focus on training prospective athletes in the 11-17 age group in 100, 200 and 800 mts track events all over the country.
District-level trials have already been conducted at Coorg, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Ranchi, Gorakhpur among other places. More
than 25,000 candidates have taken part in the trials out of
whom, around 6,500 have been selected for state trials.
The project would conclude with the national trials, slated to be held in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi in May.

The top nine athletes at the national trials would be provided with world class training facilities, said Maneesh Bahuguna, CEO, Anglian Medal Hunt Company, a sports management firm which has been roped in as the technical partner.
Usha, who heads the selection panel which includes Rachita Mistry, Anuradha Biswal and Kavita Raut, is happy with these initiatives which were a distant dream during her days as an athlete. "Grassroot activities not only encourage athletes who are deprived of basic amenities but, also give them the right platform to showcase their talent," she said.