Alokika Swain saved host Odisha the blushes of a complete failure by winning one bronze medal on the second day of the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today. Alokika won the bronze in U-18 women javelin with a throw of 47.56 metres.

That was the only medal Odisha could win on the second day of the five-day championship. The host State has bagged three medals so far with Pratik Maharana and Chhabindra Behera securing one silver each earlier on the opening day. Three medals in two days that too without any gold seemed a disappointing show by Odisha which boasts of running a High Performance Centre in athletics at the Kalinga Stadium.

The javelin bronze was the maiden National medal for 16-year-old Alokika, who hails from Jagatsinghpur district. She credited the latest achievement to her coach and former National javelin champion Fazzal Ansari.

“Earlier, my best performance was 32 metres. Ansari sir worked hard to improve my standard. He played a major role in my success,’’ said Alokika who also the reputation of winning one gold and two bronze medals in the last two editions of the East Zone Junior Athletics Championships.
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PHOTO: Odisha girl Alokika Swain poses with her javelin bronze medal at the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on 11 October 2025.