Olympic gold medallist Sotomayor to headline Ekamra Sports Literature Festival

New Delhi, Nov 19 (PTI) Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Cuban high jumper Javier Sotomayor will headline Season 7 of the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival (ESLF) to be held here on November 22.

Sotomayor, who first breached the 8-feet barrier in 1989 and set the standing world record of 2.45m (8 ft ¼ in) in 1993, will be joined on the panel by India's current national record holder Tejaswin Shankar.

"It's an honour to be at the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival. Some world class athletes have already attended in the previous seasons. I have been following India's progress in track and field and was delighted when Neeraj Chopra won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020," Sotomayor said in a release.

This season will also feature Palestinian middle-distance runner Mohammed Dwedar, recently seen at the Tokyo World Championships.

The event will also highlight the next generation of Indian athletics, including hurdler Shourya Ambure, triple jumper Poorva Sawant, and middle and long-distance runner Bushra Khan.

Italy's Franco Nugnes (Senna: The Truth), cricket writer and filmmaker Jarrod Kimber (The Art of Batting), Sandeep Menon (Sacred Grounds) and Jaydeep Basu (Who Stole My Football) are some of the authors who will also attend the event.

A major highlight of the festival remains India's only Sports Book Awards, which recognise standout work across categories including Sports Book of the Year, Biography of the Year, Autobiography of the Year, Cricket Book of the Year, Special Jury Award, and Publisher of the Year. PTI ATK SSC SSC