Shriya Vidwans of Mah selected for World Youth Athletic meet

Pune, June 9 (UNI) Promising sprinter Shriya Vidwans of Maharashtra has been selected for the World Youth athletic championship to be held at Ostrava in Czech Republic in the third week of July.

She will undergo final coaching-cum-training camp at NIS, Patiala, from Monday in preparation for the championship.

The Maharashtra squad finished in a blaze of glory having garnered 24 medals -- 2 gold, 13 silver and 9 bronze in the recently concluded Youth National Athletic championship at Bangalore.

Addressing a news conference here today, Maharashtra Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) secretary general Pralhad Sawant said four girls -- Monica Raut (the gold medalist at the Asian Cross Country held at Aaman), her sister Sonali (silver medalist at Aaman), Swati Gadhve (team gold at Aaman and 4th placer individual) and Pooja Varade (National School Games champion from Ahmednagar) -- have been picked up to train under Russian coach at the ongoing coaching camp at SAI south centre Bangalore.

Also, joining the Patiala camp will be sprinter Sonali Gargute and sprinter and jumper Krishna Kumar Rane, he said.

The most important factor behind the squad's excellent showing was the one month training camp being hosted by the Maharashtra Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Pune District Amateur Athletic Association (PDAAA) under the aegis of the MAAA at the newly laid out Baburao Sanas sports stadium. The reason why the squad would do well was the rigorous training during the camp before leaving for Bangalore, he added.

The Maharashtra government under the leadership of the sports loving Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh wanted to give more thrust to sportspersons to bag medals in the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), to be held at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City near here.

Maharashtra Minister for Sports Vasant Purke, who took an initiative under the guidance of the Chief Minister, made a headstart of hosting the camps in the nine disciplines of the games -- athletics, tennis, table tennis, boxing, shooting, weightlifting, wrestling and swimming at various venues, Mr Sawant pointed out.

A total of 52 athletes -- 30 boys and 22 girls -- have been short listed for the coaching camp in three different sections running, jumping and throwing, he explained.

Mr Purke will be the guest of honour at the conclusion of the first phase of the coaching camp on June 10 at the Deccan Gymkhana -- the venue of the first meeting of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

On the occasion, Shriya Vidwans will be felicitated along with the other medal winners at Bangalore by Mr Purke, he added.

UNI