NEHA Dhabale of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) delivered a stellar performance by winning gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles at the All-India Inter-University Athletics Championship that concluded at Bhubaneswar. Neha set a new championship record with a time of 58.04 seconds, breaking the previous record of 58.35 seconds set by R Aarti of Calicut University in 2022 at the same venue. The victory stood out as RTMNU’s highlight in a competition where most of its athletes struggled to advance beyond the initial rounds. Only Adarsh Bhure and Tejaswini Lamkane reached the finals in their respective events, but neither managed to secure a podium finish. However, Dhabale’s exceptional performance saved the university’s reputation. Dhabale’s gold medal race saw her dominate from the start. After clearing the first three hurdles, she gained a significant lead and extended it further in the final stretch. With 100 metres remaining, she was 10 metres ahead of her closest rival, Dikshita of Mangalore University, who eventually finished second with a time of 59.47 seconds.

 

Prajana, also of Mangalore University, claimed the bronze with a time of 1:00.64 minutes. This win marks a remarkable turnaround for Dhabale, who finished sixth in last year’s championship, also held in Bhubaneswar. Under the guidance of coach Gopal Palandurkar, she had been training intensively on RTMNU’s synthetic track. Her rigorous preparation allowed her to avenge an earlier defeat to Dikshita, who had beaten her to the gold medal at the U-23 Athletics Championship held in Patna this September. The victory also ended a seven-year drought for RTMNU in track events at the inter-university championships. The last gold medal for the university in a track event came in 2017, when Sayali Waghmare won the 800m race in Guntur.

 

The women’s team has consistently been stronger than the men’s in athletics, with Nikita Raut previously securing a gold medal in the half marathon in the 2018 Mudbidri championship. Dr Vishakha Joshi, Director of Sports at RTMNU, praised Dhabale’s achievement, calling it a moment of pride for the university. “Neha has showcased exceptional talent and determination. Her gold medal continues the tradition of excellence among RTMNU’s women athletes,” she said. Dhabale is a student at the College of Multidisciplinary Studies in Omkar Nagar.