Bhubaneswar, Aug. 18: Odia athletes Amiya Kumar Mallick and Srabani Nanda have been selected to be part of the Indian squad for the Asian Games that will be held next month at Incheon in South Korea.

The duo won medals at the ongoing Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championship at Patiala on Sunday.

At the four-day national championship that will conclude tomorrow, Srabani and Amiya won medals on the second day. Srabani, who was also a part of the Commonwealth squad, secured a silver medal in the 100-metre race with a timing of 11.86 seconds. Sradha Narayan of Tamil Nadu won the gold with a timing of 11.72 seconds in this event.

Amiya also clinched a bronze medal in the 100-metre sprint for men. He was behind Jyoti Sankar Debnath of Manipur and Krishna Kumar Rane of Maharashtra who won the gold and silver, respectively. Both the athletes took part in 200 metre heats today. Though Amiya could not make it to the top six in the men’s category, Srabani topped in the prelims of heat two, clocking 24.52 seconds.

“It is a matter of great happiness that the two ace sprinters of our state have been included in the prestigious Asian Games squad. We will support them in every possible way so that they perform well for the country at the Games,” said an official of the Odisha Athletics Association.

Srabani and Amiya will be a part of the national squad for the 4x100 metre relay event in the women’s and men’s categories. Srabani was a part of the bronze winning Indian team in the 4x100 metre relay at the Commonwealth Games, New Delhi, apart from various medals at international junior and youth championships. Amiya, too, has won at the youth and junior levels in many international events.

“We are extremely delighted and proud of Srabani. We are sure she will give her best for her country at the Asian Games,” said father Banabihari Nanda.

The Odisha squad at the Federation Cup includes other athletes such as Jauna Murmu, Purnima Hembram and Dharmendra Mahanata. The selection of the two Odia athletes for Asian Games has come as a welcome break after the disappointment of athlete Dutee Chand being dropped from the Commonwealth squad at the last moment following sudden tests that confirmed high androgen level in her blood.