National Games: Amlan Borgohain fastest man, Jyothi Yarraji fastest woman

Gandhinagar, October 1, 2022

Assam sprinter Amlan Borgohain and Andhra's Jyothi Yarraji emerged the fastest man and woman, respectively, of the 36th National Games here on Saturday.

The 23-year-old from Assam stopped the clock at 10.38s at the IIT Gandhinagar athletics track to clinch the 100m gold and win the mantle of the fastest man.

The current national record holder had registered a timing of 10.28s in the semi-finals and though he could not improve on that performance he was more than happy. “You know, it’s like a stage show, sometimes you perform, sometimes you don’t,” he said.

A few minutes later, Andhra Pradesh’s Jyothi Yarraji stunned a star-studded field, including Dutee Chand and Hima Das, to win the women’s 100m gold in a thrilling race.

“In those few seconds, there is no time to think. You simply focus on executing your game plan,” he explained, revealing that the only thing he concentrated on was his posture," Amlan said.

He said the hot conditions didn’t enter his mind even once. “I don’t think about it much. It is the same for everyone, isn’t it? In the All-India Railway competition, I ran at 2 pm in similar weather conditions and clocked 10.25 seconds. So, I am experienced in this kind of weather,” he smiled.

Incidentally, he had broken the national record in Rae Bareli that time and feels that his performance may inspire many youngsters to take up athletics in the North East. “We have many footballers, weightlifters and boxers and now we are not so bad in athletics, either,” he said.

Asked how much faster he could go in the coming years, he refused to spell out his target and insisted that sky was the limit for him. “I don’t put limits on myself. I just work hard and wherever God takes me, I go. If it comes, it comes. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter,” he added.

Jyothi Yarraji who clocked 11.51 seconds, to emerge as the fastest woman at the Games, said that she was very relaxed ahead of the race and delighted with her victory.

“I didn't come here thinking of winning or losing. I just wanted to give a good timing and that helped me come up with my fastest race,” Jyothi said.

She appreciated the role played by star sprinters Dutee Chand (Odisha) and Hima Das (Assam). “They have always encouraged me and I thank them for their support. I am just happy that I won and don’t think on the lines that I beat them,” she explained, when asked if it was a special feeling to go past the stars.

Archana Suseendran (Tamil Nadu) and Diandra Valladares (Maharashtra) won the silver and bronze in the blue riband event of the day.

NNN