Bhubaneswar, Oct 22 Two promising young athletes from Odisha have died after their motorcycle hit a road divider on NH-16 between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, police said on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati (21) and Malaya Barik (20).
They were returning to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar after witnessing Durga Puja celebrations in Cuttack when the accident took place around 11 pm on Wednesday, police said.
The two athletes were rescued by police and locals and taken to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where doctors declared them dead, they added.
Dondapati was emerging as one of India’s fastest under-23 sprinters, while Barik was a promising 400-metre runner.
Both were undergoing professional training at the Kalinga Stadium High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
Their deaths have sent shockwaves through Odisha’s sporting fraternity.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik mourned the deaths of the two athletes.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic demise of athletes Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati and Malaya Barik in a road accident. Their untimely passing is a profound loss to Odisha’s sporting fraternity. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families. May Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath grant them strength in this difficult time and eternal peace to the departed souls,” Majhi wrote in a post on X.
Patnaik also expressed grief over the deaths.
“The news of the untimely demise of talented young athlete Mrityunjay Jaya Ram Dandapati and Malay Barik in a road accident is heartbreaking. This is an irreparable loss for the sports world. While praying for the eternal peace of their immortal souls, I convey my deepest condolences to their grieving families,” he said in a post on X.
(PTI News)
