Om Prakash Karhana hopes to qualify for World Championships

Shot putter Om Prakash Karhana, who won a bronze in the ongoing Asian Championships here on Wednesday, is still nursing hopes of participating in next month's World Championships in Moscow and is taking part in two events in Europe to try and qualify for the mega event.

A gold here would have automatically book a berth for Moscow but Om Prakash feels he can still qualify for the World Championships.

"I still feel that I can qualify for the World Championships and I am leaving for Europe next week to participate in two events and try to make the cut for Moscow," said Om Prakash who threw 19.45m, his season's best to win a bronze.

It will have to be seen whether Om Prakash can qualify for Moscow considering that he has been struggling all through after he suffered a shoulder injury after the London Olympic Games last year. His season's best after today was 18.91m though his national record stands at 20.69m.

The 'B' standard for World Championships qualification is 20.10m.

"I had not been struggling after I suffered a shoulder injury after London Games and in a way I am satisfied that I won a bronze here," said Om Prakash who had won a gold in the 2009 edition.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games gold medallist discus thrower Krishna Poonia, who finished a disappointing fourth, said that her performance had been affected by the groin injury which she suffered after the second leg of the Asian Grand Prix series in Chonburin Thailand in May.

"I don't want to give excuses but my SDAI doctor at the NIS had told me not to participate here. I had painkiller injection four days back to be able to take part here. I was not able to get a good turn inside the throw circle and so there was no momentum before releasing the disc," she said after she could just managed to hurl the discus to 55.01m, far below her season's best of 59.43m and national record of 64.74m."

"I knew that I will not been able to win gold here but I wanted to participate and give my best which I did," said Poonia, who for a while thought that she finished third as there was confusion all around after two electronic boards malfunctioned and nobody knew the results for more than half an hour.

She said she will now take a break from competition till the new season next year as she does not want to aggravate her injury. The Indian season is also over and she said she is not competing in any international event.

"I have to undergo rehability and treat my injury. Competitions may aggravate my injury. So I am not going to take part any competition this year," she said.

Asked about next month's World Championships in Moscow, Poonia said, "What will I do in Moscow if I have to take part with injury. I have no chance for World Championhsips now."

"My target now is I want to recover soon and I am lloking forward to next year. There is the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. I want to do well in these teo Games," she said.


Asked if there was any issue of training kits not reaching the Indian contingent on time, Poonia replied in the negative.

"I don't know about kits not reaching to the athletes on time. It was just that there was mismatch in size of the kits in case of some athletes. That issue was sorted out today. In any case, there was no such issue in case of me. I had got the kit of my size at the first instance," she said.