Amar Singh Devanda close to breaking the national best

Checked at 5.50 AM AM on Day 2, the race leader board showed three Indians runners – Amar Singh Devanda, Saurav Kumar Ranjan and Geeno Antony – still heading the field in the competition for men at the IAU 24H Asia & Oceania Championships, currently on in Bengaluru.

Amar had done 592 laps of the 400 meter-track covering a distance of 236.8 kilometres. Saurav had 554 laps to his credit and Geeno, 542.

The national best for men in the 24-hour category held by Ullas Narayana is 250.37 kilometres. Amar’s personal best is 240.8 kilometres, which is incidentally the best time registered on Indian soil.

The competition concludes at 8 AM on July 3.

Among women, Kuan-Ju Lin of Chinese Taipei was leading with 490 laps done. In second position was Cassie Cohen of Australia (486 laps) and in third, Allicia-Grace Heron (480 laps), also of Australia. The highest placed among the Indian women was Anju Saini (464 laps). Shashi Mehta had accumulated 417 laps, Asha Singh, 416.

(The authors, Latha Venkatraman and Shyam G Menon, are independent journalists based in Mumbai)