Kaydin clinches 60m gold in photo finish

The photo finish image shared by the MSDAA

The 60m sprinters at the Mumbai Suburban District Athletic Association (MSDAA) Junior Athletic Championship held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Kandivli, recently, experienced what Olympics sprinters Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson and Fred Kerley did in Paris - an exciting photo finish.

At the Paris Games, Lyles (9.784s) took gold while Thomson (9.789s) took silver and Kerley (9.81s) bronze after it seemed by the naked eye that all three had finished together. At the Kandivli meet, Kaydin Prabhu of Fit Hour Sports Club (Kandivli) won gold in the 60m dash, clocking 7.50 seconds while Shiven Vyas was adjudged to have won silver (7.65s) and Craig D'Costa (7.66s) was handed the bronze following an exciting photo finish.

Also Read: Paris Paralympics 2024: Preethi Pal scripts history in track & field with bronze in 200m T35

Kaydin Prabhu with his certificate and gold medal at the district meet at SAI, Kandivli, recently

Interestingly, photo finish set ups are used only for state or national-level meets, and it was just good fortune that MSDAA decided to use it here, and it came handy. Kaydin, 15, considers this gold special, given the way it was achieved. "Obviously, this is the best result and I will cherish it for a long time. What's doubly satisfying is that this is the first time I have qualified for the state meet [20-22 September at Balewadi Stadium in Pune]," Kaydin, who stays in Shepali, near Gorai village, told www.mid-day.com.

"My main event is the 200m and 400m, but I was confident in the 60m run too. I never expected to win gold. I was a bit worried before the results [of the photo finish] were declared," added the Class 10 student of Don Bosco High School (Borivli).

Kaydin started training in athletics only two years ago. Cricket is his first love. "My mother [Dejina] feels I'm good at athletics. I'm actually a cricketer and have been training for seven years. Currently, I'm playing both simultaneously. My next aim is to do well at the state level and qualify for the nationals. The ultimate aim is obviously to represent my country and win international medals," concluded Kaydin, whose all-time favourite sportsperson retired Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt.