Gumla girl makes cut for U20 world meet in Columbia

Gumla: Asha Kiran Barla, an 18-year-old athlete from Nawatoli village under Kamdara block of Gumla district, on Friday qualified for the U20 World Athletics Championship which will be held in Columbia’s Cali from August 1 to August 6 this year.
Barla is the second athlete from Gumla to qualify for the global event after Supriti Kacchap.
Barla’s Bokaro based coach Ashu Bhatia said: “She qualified for the event after she finished first in the heats of 800 metre race at the National Federation Cup Athletics Championships which is being held Nandyal in Gujarat, on Friday, after clocking 2:7.91 minutes. To add to her best, she finished the finals on Saturday afternoon by clocking 2:6.78 minutes.”
Barla, however, did not respond to TOI’s calls when contacted. Earlier this year, Barla bagged gold in the 56th U20 girls’ cross country race in Kohima in March, which was organised by the Athletics Federation of India. Barla’s elder sister Florence Barla is also an international athlete.