Odisha failed to win any medal in the 19th National Federation Cup Junior (U-20) Athletics Championships, which was held at War Hero Stadium, Sangrur (Punjab) from 31 July to 2 August, 2021. According Athletics Federation of India (AFI) website, only two athletes (both boys) competed for Odisha in this championship.

Of the Odisha duo, Abhisekh Dalabehera bowed out before the finals, finishing fourth in boys 100m heat-5 and fourth in 200m heat-4. His statemate Aryan Ekka finished sixth in 200m final, clocking 22.12 seconds, but in 400m event, he finished third in heat-3 and failed to reach the final.

Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar-based Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics High Performance Centre (RFOAHPC) claimed to have fielded four athletes, including three from Odisha in the Junior National Federation Cup Championships. The three Odisha trainees were Aryan Ekka, Abhisekh Dalabehera and high-jumper Nikhil Das.

But the high jump results, published in the AFI website, did not feature the name of Nikhil Das. It is, thus, not clear whether Nikhil participated in the championship or not. Graceson Jeeva was the other Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics HPC trainee who won silver medal in boys 110m hurdles with a time of 14.14 seconds. But Jeeva belongs to Tamil Nadu.

Currently 29 athletes are training at the Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics HPC that has the stated objective to be among the best of its kind in Asia by 2024. The HPC began operations in 2019 as a collaborative effort between Reliance Foundation and the Government of Odisha.

However, Odisha Athletics Association did not send any State squad for the National Federation Cup Junior Championship, which served as a basis for selection of Indian squad for the World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from August 17 to 22.

It is no surprise that when the selection committee of AFI announced a 28-member Indian squad for the Nairobi championships on August 3, none from Odisha could make it to the squad.
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PHOTO: Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics HPC trainees (L to R) Graceson Jeeva, Abhisekh Dalabehera, Nikhil Das and Aryan Ekka at the National Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championships in Sangrur.