Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre Athletes Shine at 3rd Khelo India University Games

Bhubaneswar: Reliance Foundation’s seven-strong contingent shone brightly at the 3rd Khelo India University Games 2023 in Uttar Pradesh by winning a total of seven medals.

Martin Owens, Head Coach, Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Center, said, “The athletes have performed very well in the 3rd Khelo India University Games 2023. They have pushed themselves hard during the training sessions, which resulted in them achieving success. We had seven athletes participating in the competition and all of them returned with a fantastic podium finish.”

Pragyan Prasanti Sahu made an outstanding comeback with a gold in the 100m hurdles event with a timing of 13.63 seconds after her impressive performance in the recently concluded Senior Federation Cup in Ranchi. Abhishek Dalabehera finished third in the 100m and also breached the qualifying time for the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar, which will be held later this month.

Athlete Pragyan Sahu said, “After my performance in the Senior Federation Cup, I needed this victory because I narrowly missed out on a medal there and finished fourth. It was important for me to get off to a fast start and I am satisfied that I managed to do that. This gold will motivate me to maintain a high level of performance and train for the next competition. Our coach believes in me and I want to ensure I keep performing consistently.”

The third edition of the Khelo India University Games witnessed around 4,000 athletes, all in the under-27 category, from 205 top universities from across the country competing across 21 different sports. Below are the athletes from Reliance Foundation who shined at the games.

• Pragyan Prasanti Sahu won a gold in Women’s 100m hurdles in 13.63 seconds

• Sushmita Tigga struck gold in Women’s 3000m Steeplechase with a timing of 10:42.43

• Manisha Merel grabbed a gold medal in Women’s Long Jump with a jump of 6m

• Laluprasad Bhoi and Abhishek Dalabehera finished with a silver (10.60) and bronze (10.72) in Men’s 100m respectively

• Swadhin Majhi won a silver in Men’s High Jump by clearing 2.11m

• Moumita Mondal clinched a silver in Women’s Long Jump with 5.87m

The Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Center, a collaboration between Odisha Government and Reliance Foundation, provides comprehensive support to India’s top athletic talent, including world-class coaching, equipment, sports medicine, and rehabilitation. With over 50 athletes being trained in various athletics disciplines, the centre has produced outstanding results since its inception.