Asian Athletics Championships 2017: Manpreet Kaur and Govindan Laxman wins Gold

Manpreet Kaur and Govindan Laxman has managed to win gold medals on the opening day of Asian Athletics Championships held at Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneshwar.
Manpreet Kaur threw 18.28m to win a gold medal in the women’s shotput event. Her best was record breaking throw of 18.86m at the Asian Grand Prix in China earlier this year.
Vikas Gowda, though failed to defend his title in the men’s discus throw has managed to win a bronze medal in the men’s discus throw with an effort of 60.81m. His throw was way below his season’s best of 62m.
Govindan Laxmanan has won a gold medal in the men’s 5000 metres. In the last edition of the event held at Wuhan in China, Laxman had won a bronze medal.

Asian Athletics Championship

The Asian Athletics Championships is an event organised by the Asian Athletics Association. The event is held once in every two years. The last episode of the event took place in Wuhan in 2015. The 2017 Asian Athletics Championship is the 22nd edition and will be held from 6 July to 9 July 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. Around 800 athletes from around 45 countries are participating in the event, Bhubaneshwar is the third Indian city to host this event after New Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013).
Mascot
Olly, the Olive Ridley sea turtle has been chosen as the mascot for the championship.Olive Ridley Turtles are endangered species that are found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Astaranga coast and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, both in Odisha, are home to Olive Ridley Turtles. These turtles travel to Odisha’s Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches for its nesting. In India, the turtle has been included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017