Saraswathi Saha may surprise all in Athens Amitabh Khanna, Special Correspondent
July 23, 2004
The world looks towards Swaraswati of Kolkata. She says she is ready for Athens and will surprise all. Producing a surprise result, Saraswathi Saha of West Bengal on Friday qualified for the Athens Olympics when she emerged winner in the 200m in the fourth National circuit athletic meet here. The 24-year-old Eastern Railway employee, braving inclement weather, managed to find her pace on a track soaked by intermittent showers at the Kanteerava stadium to win the race with a timing of 23.07 secs. The beaming Kolkata girl, after her successful effort to qualify for the Olympics in the last of the circuit meets, said "My confidence level was high at the start, though it was a difficult task". Saha, coached by husband Hameed Saha and Parminder Singh, regretted that she could not better her best timing of 22.82
seconds, achieved at the 2002 circuit meet at Ludhiana. "On the drenched track, I could not get the speed", Saha, the lone participant to achieve the qualifying mark to Athens, said. It was sheer disappointment for Shakti Singh of Haryana, who could not make the qualifying mark in shot put though he was the winner, heaving the iron ball to 19.40 Metres. Ranvijay Singh of Uttar Pradesh, another international who had raised hopes, finished second with 18.97m.
The world looks towards Swaraswati of Kolkata. She says she is ready for Athens and will surprise all. Producing a surprise result, Saraswathi Saha of West Bengal on Friday qualified for the Athens Olympics when she emerged winner in the 200m in the fourth National circuit athletic meet here. The 24-year-old Eastern Railway employee, braving inclement weather, managed to find her pace on a track soaked by intermittent showers at the Kanteerava stadium to win the race with a timing of 23.07 secs. The beaming Kolkata girl, after her successful effort to qualify for the Olympics in the last of the circuit meets, said "My confidence level was high at the start, though it was a difficult task". Saha, coached by husband Hameed Saha and Parminder Singh, regretted that she could not better her best timing of 22.82
seconds, achieved at the 2002 circuit meet at Ludhiana. "On the drenched track, I could not get the speed", Saha, the lone participant to achieve the qualifying mark to Athens, said. It was sheer disappointment for Shakti Singh of Haryana, who could not make the qualifying mark in shot put though he was the winner, heaving the iron ball to 19.40 Metres. Ranvijay Singh of Uttar Pradesh, another international who had raised hopes, finished second with 18.97m. 
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