Punjab, Oct. 11 -- Shaili Singh lost the national long jump title by one centimetre. Mubassina Mohammed jumped 6.38m to Singh's 6.37m on day three of the 65th National Open Athletics Championships in Delhi, with Nidhi third at 6.28m.
One centimetre
Singh is India's best long jumper and has been for several years. Losing a national title by a centimetre is not a decline - it is the normal variance of an event measured to the centimetre, where a take-off a hand's width behind the board costs more than the margin.
It is also the first time in a while that an Indian women's long jump final has needed the third decimal of anybody's attention. Mubassina Mohammed beating her, on the day, is the result the event needed; a national record holder ...