THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 24, 2026
A series of outstanding performances by three of India's
brightest athletics talents — pole vaulter Dev Meena, teenage hammer thrower
Anushka Yadav, and sprinter-cum-hurdler Jyothi Yarraji — lit up the floodlit
Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday as the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics
Championships got off to a spectacular start.
The evening session witnessed intense competition, with
several athletes surpassing the qualification standards for the Japan Asian
Games in their respective events.
Representing Madhya Pradesh, Dev Meena delivered a
record-breaking performance in the men's pole vault by clearing 5.46m,
improving upon his own national record, which he jointly held with training
partner Kuldeep Kumar. His effort also exceeded the Japan Asian Games
qualification standard of 5.45m.
“It is good to improve
the national record before going to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games,” said the
newly crowned champion. “The competition was challenging, nonetheless I’m
excited to have enhanced my profile,” added the pole vaulter from Madhya
Pradesh.
The men's pole vault competition also saw the top three
finishers better the previous meet record of 5.20m, set by M. Gowtham in 2025.
At the throwing arena, 18-year-old Anushka Yadav emerged as
the star attraction, rewriting both the national and meet records in the
women's hammer throw. On her way to winning the gold medal, she also secured
qualification for the Japan Asian Games.
Anushka's winning throw of 67.02m eclipsed the national
record of 65.25m set by Sarita A. Singh in 2017, while also surpassing the meet
record of 65.03m established by Rachna in 2023.
“I’m thankful to my
family for all the support as I was on the injured list earlier in March,”
jubilant Anushka said after setting the senior national record.
“I can’t express my
happiness of booking a berth to board a flight to the Japan Asian Games,” added
the promising thrower from Uttar Pradesh.
Asian Games silver medallist and national record holder in
the women's 100m hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji, marked an emotional return to
competition after a lengthy injury layoff. Producing a sub-13-second
performance, she claimed the gold medal in style.
“Its sheer Irony that
I got injured on June 24 last year and after 12 long agonising months of rehab
I’m making a comeback — that too with sub-13 seconds for the 100m hurdles,”
said Jyothi Yarraji after winning the title on Wednesday.
Yarraji had already surpassed the Asian Games qualification
mark of 13.34 seconds during the heats and went on to clock 12.99 seconds in
the final to secure gold.
Tamil Nadu's Nandhini K claimed the silver medal in 13.22
seconds and became the second hurdler in the event to achieve the Asian Games
qualification standard.
Tamil Nadu's Lasha Ilango also delivered an impressive
performance in the women's triple jump, winning gold with a leap of 13.89m. The
effort improved the meet record and comfortably exceeded the Asian Games
qualification mark of 13.34m.
Earlier in the morning session, star distance runner Gulveer
Singh cruised to victory in the men's 5,000m race. The men's 800m heats also
produced remarkable results, with more than ten athletes bettering the Asian
Games qualification standard of 1:48.80.
With multiple national records, meet records and Asian Games
qualification marks achieved on the opening day, the championship provided an
emphatic showcase of India's growing depth and excellence in athletics.
Results:
Men:
5,000m
(Asian Games Qualification Time 13:39.18 secs): Gulveer Singh (Uttar Pradesh)
13:52.92 secs, Abhishek Pal (Uttar Pradesh) 13:54.18 secs, Harmanjot Singh
(Punjab) 13:54.60 secs.
Pole
vault (AG Q Mark 5.45m): Dev Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.46m (NR improves his own
national record 5.45m), Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.30m, Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya
Pradesh) 5.20m.
Women:
5,000m
(AG Q Time 15:36.58 secs): Seema (Himachal Pradesh) 16:11.04 secs, Bharti
(Haryana) 16:17.10 secs, Ravina Gayakwad (Maharashtra)16:32.92 secs.
Triple
jump (AG Q Mark 13:34m): Lasha Ilango (Tamil Nadu) 13.89m, Niharika Vashisht
(Punjab) 13.22m, Mallala Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 13.13m.
100m hurdles (AG Q Time 13.34 secs): Jyothi Yarraji (Andhra Pradesh) 12.99 seconds, Nandhini K (Tamil Nadu) 13.22 secs, Pragyan P Sahu (Odisha) 13.48 secs.
Hammer Throw (AG Q Mark 61.72m): Anushka Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 67.02m, Tanya Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 61.70m, Harshita Sehrawat (Delhi) 60.92m.
