Jyothi, Afsal and Praveen to light up National Games athletics

Asian champion sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, Asian Games 800m silver medallist Mohammed Afsal, Asiad triple jump bronze medallist Praveen Chithravel and star quartermiler Vithya Ramraj are some of the stars who will be in action in the National Games athletics competition which begins at the Maharana Pratap Sports Complex here on Saturday.

While the men’s 400m does not have any big names, the presence of Olympian Kiran Pahal and other leading stars like Rupal Chaudhary and Aishwarya Mishra in the start list is bound to make the women’s quartermile an interesting affair.

Since the National Games come very early in the season in a year which has the Asian and the World championships lined up, many of the top names have stayed away from Dehradun. But that will give a nice opportunity for the young athletes to showcase their talent.

The Games’ athletics competition runs till February 12.