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Discuss throwers Seema, Navjeet bag silver, bronze; Arpinder, Babu in triple jump final (Athletics Roundup)
Gold Coast, April 12 (IANS) Seema Punia and Navjeet Dhillon clinched the silver and bronze medal respectively in the women’s discuss throw to open India’s its account in the athletics competition of the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Thursday.
Arpinder Singh and A. V. Rakesh Babu entered the final of the men’s triple jump , while Purnima Hembram was sixth at the halfway stage of the heptathlon to make it a successful day for India.
In the first attempt, Seema successfully got past the 60 metre-mark with her best throw of 60.41m to bag silver. This is her fourth successive podium finish in this event at the Games, following silver in both 2006 and 2014, and a bronze at home in Delhi in 2010.
Navjeet managed to throw her best 57.43m in her sixth attempt to sit at the third place.
Australia’s Dani Stevens set a new Games record with a Herculean throw of 68.26m to clinch gold.
After throwing 60.41m in the medal clinching attempt, the second attempt saw Seema throwing 59.57. But in the third attempt, Seema fouled and in the fourth she only managed to throw 58.54, managing to stay in the top three. Her fifth attempt was disqualified.
Navjeet, on the other hand, was out of top three from the start, clearing 55.61 in first attempt and 56.22, 54.09 in the fourth and fifth attempt respectively.
She was behind Sositina Hakeai of New Zealand till then but the final attempt saw her throwing her best 57.43m which helped him to move at the third place, replacing the New Zealander. Hakeai best throw of 57.16m came in her third attempt.
In the men’s Triple Jump, Arpinder did well during the qualification stage, taking the top spot in Group B to enter the final in style.
The Punjab athlete registered a best attempt of 16.39 metres to finish ahead of Namibia’s Roger Haitengi who jumped 16.36m.
Babu on the other hand, finished fifth Group A with 15.98m to advance as one of the 12 best performers.
Arpinder registered 16.39m in his very first attempt which turned out to be his best of the round.
He registered 16.16m with second attempt before fouling the third.
In Group A, Babu started with 15.98m before managing 15.71m with his second jump. He fouled his third jump.
Yordanys Durañona García of Dominica registered the best attempt of the qualification stage.
The Cuban origin athlete jumped a distance of 16.75m to take the top spot in Group A.
He was the only athlete among the total 19 in the two groups to cross the direct qualification mark of 16.60m.
Meanwhile, Purnima finished with 3441 points after the first day of her heptathlon event. She was seventh in the Shot Put and was third in the 200m heat.
Purnima recorded a throw of 11.75m in her first attempt, which was her best in three tries.
In women’s 200m Heptathlon-Heat, Purnima finished third with a time of 25.12.
Earlier in the day, Purnima finished second in the 100 metre hurdles heat.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.