March 2019: A team of eight athletes from TENVIC’s Centre of Excellence in Guntur made their maiden foray into the Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships in NS-NIS, Patiala, from March 15 to 18. The bunch of sprinters, jumpers and throwers didn't come away with medals, but they brought back memories and, significantly, a taste of senior competitive action, learning from watching the likes of Hima Das and Dutee Chand, among others, in action.

Having met the qualifying standards set by the Athletics Federation of India, this octet of D Gailey Venister (triple jump), S Sujatha, L Janardhan Rao and K Naresh Kumar (sprint), Achyuta Kolli (sprint and long jump), Srikakolapu Peda Kama Raju (high jump), G Venkatesh Naidu (shot put) and AVG Krishnama Naidu (javelin) came away richer for the experience.

"I prepared for this meet since October last year," says Naresh, who clocked times of 10.80 and 10.84 seconds respectively in the heats and the semifinals. The gold was clinched by Gurindervir Singh of Punjab, who clocked 10.35 seconds. "Before this, I took part in two competitions – in the inter-state trials, where I clocked 10.42, and in the all-India Unversities, where I timed 10.59S, entered the finals and finished fourth. Then I got injured, and it took me some time to recover. I prepared for the Federation Cup after that. It was a great experience, I got a lot of tips from watching and interacting with senior internationals like Hima Das, Dutee Chand and Gurindervir Singh. I personally caught up with Gurindervir, who shared his routines about preparation, concentration, how to stay mentally relaxed."

"The coaches supported, motivated and encouraged us. It was a very good experience, especially because it was our first senior meet," Naresh adds. "We have a better idea now of how to prepare and approach competitions going forward. I am confident that in the next meet, I will surely win a medal."

Gailey Venister, the 19-year-old triple jumper from Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, observes, "It was my first senior meet, and a very good experience. Before that, I had competed in the Junior Nationals in Ranchi, where I won the bronze medal. The TENVIC manager saw me in action and asked if I was keen on joining the CoE. I was very excited – I would have access to foreign coaches, there are all facilities there. I came to Andhra in the first week of February, and started training. For me, the Federation Cup is a big competition. I was a bit nervous but this is understandable. 15.07 metres is not my best, but it is alright considering it was my first senior meet. In the next competition, I will make sure I win a medal and secure a good position."

TENVIC congratulates all the athletes who made it from the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh-managed Centre of Excellence, and wishes them the very best for the future.

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ATHLETES AT THE FEDERATION CUP

EVENT	ATHLETES
LONG JUMP	Achyuta Kolli D Gailey Venister
SPRINTS	S Sujata L Janardhana Rao K Naresh Kumar
HIGH JUMP	Srikakolapu Peda Kamaraj
SHOT PUT	G Venkatesh Naidu
JAVELIN	A V G Krishnama Naidu

Related Resources

Learn more about our structured Grassroot Sports development offerings for schools, academies and clubs.