Shot putter Sagoo elected AFI prez

Chandigarh: Asian Games gold-winning former shot putter Bahadur Singh Sagoo was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the Athletics Federation of India’s president, succeeding the long-serving Adille Sumariwalla in the top position.

The 51-year-old Sagoo, who will be serving a four-year term (2025-29), won a shot put gold in the 2002 Busan Asian Games and also took part in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. He is a member of the AFI Athletes Commission. Sagoo was the lone candidate left in the fray after incumbent senior vice-president Anju Bobby George opted out of the race for the top position due to personal reasons.

His election was formalised at the two-day Annual General Meeting of the AFI.

Anju was also elected for her second term as senior vice-president. Sagoo, who hails from Jalandhar and is currently serving as commandant in the Punjab Police, has a lifetime best throw of 20.40 metres and is also a Padma Shri recipient.

He is also a member of the senior selection committee. There were no elections for the remaining posts, a repeat of what happened during the last AGM in 2020. “I am thankful to all the members for electing me as president. I will take forward the existing programmes of the AFI which are already robust and showing results. My team and I will try to take everyone along to take Indian athletics even further,” Sagoo said.

Delhi unit’s top official Sandeep Mehta was elected unopposed as the

AFI secretary.