Javelin thrower Dhanmati Xess secured the first medal for Odisha at the 37th National Junior Athletics Championship, bagging Gold in Girls U-20 age group on the opening day at SAI Athletics Stadium in Guwahati, Assam today. She achieved the glory with a throw of 40.64m in her first attempt.

This was the first gold and third medal for Dhanmati in National Junior Championships. The Sundargarh athlete had claimed her first National Junior medal with a bronze in the 34th edition at Ranchi, Jharkhand in 2018. She bettered her performance in the 35th edition, capturing silver in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in 2019.

A trainee of SAI SAG Centre in Sundargarh, Dhanmati also has the reputation of winning a bronze medal at the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati two years back. Odisha Athletics Association has fielded a 39-member State squad in the ongoing National Junior Championship, which would conclude on November 15.
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PHOTO: Dhanmati Xess poses with her gold medal at the 37th National Junior Athletics Championship in Guwahati on 11 November 2022.