Khopkar emerges champion

“I put in a good effort,” said Khopkar,a National silver medallist and a double gold medallist at the State meet in Akola last October. “I was completely focused and there was no real threat from the other runners. But I would have liked to clock a much better time. Maybe,if there were strong challengers,I would have achieved that.”

The sprinters had a field day with the tiny tots continuing to dazzle with impressive performances that earned them new meet records of a total of five on the concluding day.

Among them were Sakshi Patil of Prasun Sports Welfare Association,Dombivli who won the girls under-10 100m and Saptarshi Das of Lokhandwala Foundation School,Kandivali who won the corresponding boys race.

While Jekam Valvi of Krida Prabodhini,Thane,who won the boys under-16 400m gold on day two,bagged the 800m gold in a record time of 2:07.8 seconds,Maharashtra’s top women’s athlete and individual champion Shraddha Ghule,who smashed the 15-year-old long jump record on the opening day,narrowly missed the 100m record when she clocked 12.5 seconds,leaving Sauni Sebastian’s 1994 mark of 12.3 intact.

Results: Team Championships: Men: Seven Stars Sports Academy,Thane (49 points). Women: Holy Cross Convent,Thane (40.5 points). Women: 100m: 1. Shraddha Ghule (Achievers Sports Club,Thane) 12.5 secs; 2. Hema Bhanga (Mah State Police,Ghatkopar) 12.7; 3. Jinelle D’Souza (United Athletes SC,Bandra) 14.8. Girls U-10: 100m: 1. Sakshi Patil (Prasun Sports Welfare Assn,Dombivli) 15.2 secs (NMR); 2. Sherissa D’Cruz (Rustomjee Intl,Dahisar) 15.4 secs; 3. Sharvari Parulekar (Udayachal,Vikhroli) 15.6. Girls U-16: Long jump: 1. Sayali Satpute (Holy Cross Convent,Thane) 4.40 mts; 2. Snehal Sawant (HMP High School,Dahanu Road) 4.38; 3. Gurav Kantaini (Ace Athletic Club) 4.37. Girls U-16: 4x100m relay: 1. Holy Cross Convent ‘A’,Thane 55.3 secs (NMR); 2. Holy Cross Convent ‘B’ 56.2; 3. St. Agnes’,Byculla 56.8. Boys U-10: 100m: 1. Saptarshi Das (Lokhandwala Foundation,Kandivali) 14.5 secs (NMR); 2. Himanshu Gholap (Dynamos SC,Thane) 14.7 (EMR); 3. Josiah Noronha (St. Stanislaus,Bandra) 15.0. Boys U-14: 100m: 1. Kshitij Bhoite (Seven Stars Sports Academy,Thane) 12.0 secs (EMR); 2. Omkar Bhatt (Winners’ SC,Dombivli) 12.6 secs; 3. Blanke D’Souza (St. Stanislaus,Bandra) 13.0. Boys U-16: 200m: 1. Anuraag Khopkar (Track Trotters,Chira Bazar) 23.1 secs (NMR); 2. Aarush Mehta (Lokhandwala Foundation School,Kandivali) 25.0 secs; 3. Jayesh Dua (Dayanit Athletes) 25.8. Boys U-16: 800m: 1. Jekam Valvi (Krida Prabodhini,Thane) 2:07.8 secs (NMR); 2. Akshay Charan (Dayanit Athletes) 2:08.8 (BMR); 3. Siddharth Kadam (Dombivli Gym) 2:14.1.