World Athletics Championship:Annu Rani becomes first Indian Woman to qualify for Javelin throw final
Doha, Sep 30: Top Indian woman javelin thrower Annu Rani qualified for the final round of the World Athletics Championships by smashing her own national record here on Monday.
The 27-year-old Annu sent the iron spear to a distance of 62.43m in her second round throw, bettering her earlier national record of 62.34m, which she achieved in March, to book a place for Tuesday's finals.
In the process, she became the first Indian to reach the finals of the women's javelin throw in the World Championships.
Annu finished third in Group A and qualified for the finals as the fifth best performer of the qualification round.
Only two javelin throwers, Asian champion Lyu Huihui (67.27m) of China and Christin Hussong (65.29m) of Germany, could cross the automatic qualification mark of 63.50m while another 10, including Annu, made up the 12, who will compete in the finals.
Annu opened with a 57.05m before coming up with her career-best throw in the second round. She had a 60.50m in her third and final throw.
World leader and Asian Games champion Liu Shiying (63.48m) of China and Ratej Martina (62.87m) of Slovenia finished ahead of Annu in Group A, while reigning Olympic champion Sara Kolak of Croatia was sixth with a best throw of 60.99m.
The other two Indians who competed on Monday, Archana Susheendran and Anjali Devi, failed to go past the first round in the women's 200m and 400m, respectively.
The 25-year-old Archana, who got a last minute invite from the world governing body IAAF to take part in the showpiece, finished last in heat number 2 and 40th overall out of the 43 participants who completed their races, with a time of 23.65 seconds. She has a personal best of 23.18.
Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain, who had won a silver in the 100m dash on Sunday, topped the overall timings chart of 200m first round heats with 22.32 seconds.
The 21-year-old Anajli, meanwhile, finished sixth in heat number 6 and 36th overall out of 46 athletes, with a time of 52.33 seconds.
Anjali, who underwent a confirmatory trial before being cleared for this championships, has a personal best of 51.53, which she achieving while winning gold during the Inter-State Championships in August in Lucknow.
The top three finishers in each of the six heats and the next six fastest qualify for the semifinals. The slowest time that made the cut for the semifinals was 52.23.
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BLR airport sees 34 int'l flight cancellations amid Middle East crisis
Bengaluru (PTI): As many as 34 international flights were cancelled at Kempegowda International Airport on Wednesday as airline operations were disrupted due to the Middle East conflict, officials said.
An airport official said that 18 arrivals and 16 departures were cancelled due to airspace restrictions on March 4 until 23:59 hrs at the Bengaluru airport.
The cancellations impacted several key international sectors connecting Bengaluru with West Asian cities, including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai, and Doha.
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Meanwhile, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the Kempegowda International Airport, said that a help desk has been set up at the kerbside of terminal 2 to manage passenger queries and provide on-ground assistance amid the disruptions.
According to BIAL, the help desk is coordinating ground transport, facilitating emergency services, and handling general queries until airline representatives arrive at the terminal.
Given the presence of multiple international carriers operating from the airport, the help desk is functioning as a single-window support system, guiding passengers to the respective ground handlers responsible for airline operations, officials said.
In addition, the airport is providing several passenger amenities at the kerbside, including chairs, drinking water, snacks, medical assistance, sanitary pads, charging stations, and a makeshift feeding facility.
Wheelchairs are also being provided upon request, they added.
