Kishore Jena throws a massive personal best in Sri Lankan National Championships

Kishore Kumar Jena.
| Photo Credit: AFI/Twitter

Kishore Kumar Jena threw a personal best 84.38m as he won the men’s javelin throw title at the Sri Lankan National athletics championships in Colombo on Friday.

That will place him in the 10th spot in the javelin throw’s world list this year and on the second rung in Asia, behind Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra (88.67).

Jena, who took the silver at the recent Inter-State Nationals in Bhubaneswar with 82.87, has improved his personal best by more than six metres in about nine months. His best till last year was 78.05. The big throw could improve his chances of making the cut for next month’s World Championships in Budapest through the world rankings route.

Meanwhile, former Asian silver medallist Shivpal Singh was second with 77.36m in Colombo. In other events, Seema won the women’s 10,000m while S. Siva finished second in the men’s pole vault.

Jisna Mathew (54.89s), Soniya Baishya (54.10) and M.R. Poovamma (55.84) entered the women’s final after the heats.

The results (finals, Indian performances only): Men: Javelin throw: 1. Kishore Kumar Jena (84.38m MR), 2. Shivpal Singh (77.36).

Pole vault: 2. S. Siva (4.90m).

Women: 10,000m: 1. Seema (35:39.22s).