State-level cross-country Championship brings athletics to Jharkhand’s remote hinterland

The remote Mahua Dand subdivision of Latehar district hosted the 17th Jharkhand State Cross Country Championship for the first time on Sunday, marking a significant step towards taking organised athletics in Jharkhand’s rural and forested heartland.

Held amid natural hill terrain, the championship featured competitions across eight age categories, with athletes from Giridih, Bokaro, Ranchi, Hazaribag, Dhanbad, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Saraikela participating. The men’s and women’s races were flagged off by Manika MLA Ramchandra Singh.

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In the senior men’s 10 km race, Deepak Kumar Thakur of Giridih won gold with a timing of 30:38.48, followed by Neeraj Kumar Patel of East Singhbhum (33:06.04) and Lalu Kundlana of West Singhbhum (33:11.84). In the women’s 10 km event, Heera Sanga of Bokaro secured first place with 40:38.48, while Asha Kiran Barla of Bokaro and Pano Baski of Saraikela finished second and third, respectively.

In the under-20 boys’ 8 km race, Sanjeev of Ranchi claimed first place, followed by Deepak Kumar Mahto of Hazaribag and Om Prakash Kumar of Bokaro. In the under-20 girls’ 6 km category, Ruby Kumari of Dhanbad won gold, ahead of Tanu Kumari of Dhanbad and Neha Khalko of Bokaro.

In the under-18 boys’ 6 km race, Lav Ravidas of Giridih finished first, while Ankit Kumar and Lokeshwar Kumar Yadav, both from Hazaribagh, secured second and third places. In the under-18 girls’ 4 km event, Manju Kumari of Ranchi won gold, followed by Anisha Kumari of Bokaro and Manali Sinha of Deoghar.

In the under-16 boys’ 2 km category, Angesh Kumar Yadav of Hazaribag topped the race, while Uttam Kumar of Bokaro and Zahid Ansari of Dhanbad finished second and third. In the under-16 girls’ 2 km race, Ritu Kumari of Ranchi secured first place, followed by Seema Kumari of Lohardaga and Puja Mahato of West Singhbhum.

The event was organised jointly by the Jharkhand Athletics Association and the Latehar District Athletics Association. Senior police officials, including the local DSP and station in-charge Manoj Kumar flagged off various categories.

The prize distribution ceremony was attended by Father Dilip Ekka, Principal of St Joseph High School, and Mahua Dand, as the chief guest. Jharkhand Athletics Association president C D Singh, secretary S K Pandey, vice-president Sikandar Mahto, former international athlete Mahavir Lohra, and Hazaribagh district secretary Ajit Sahu were present.

The championship was successfully coordinated under the leadership of Latehar District Athletics Association president Robert Minz and secretary Anubhav Khakhha, with technical guidance from Bokaro-based athletics mentor Ashu Bhatia. Thousands of local residents attended the event as spectators. All participants received medals and merit certificates, while technical officials were also honoured.