New Delhi, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann lauded sprinter Gurindervir Singh after the athlete scripted history at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition 2026 in Ranchi, becoming the first Indian to breach the 10.10-second barrier in the men's 100m.

Competing at the Birsa Munda Stadium on Saturday evening, Gurindervir clocked a sensational 10.09 seconds in the final to reclaim the national record and cement his place as the fastest Indian ever over the distance. The landmark effort came less than 24 hours after a dramatic exchange of the national mark between Gurindervir and fellow sprinter Animesh Kujur during the semifinals.

Congratulating the 25-year-old, Mann described the achievement as a moment of immense pride for Punjab and Indian athletics.

"Heartiest congratulations to our promising athlete Gurindervir Singh for winning the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle race at the Federation Cup in Ranchi. Our brave young son has set a new national record by clocking just 10.09 seconds," Mann wrote on X.

Highlighting the significance of the timing, he noted that Gurindervir had entered uncharted territory for Indian sprinting.

"Gurindervir has become the first Indian athlete to clock less than 10.10 seconds in the 100-meter race. By breaking a second national record in two days, the son of Punjab has brought glory to the state on the national and international stage. The entire Punjab takes pride in Gurindervir’s historic achievement. Heartiest congratulations and best wishes for the future," Mann added.

Saturday’s final marked the conclusion of an intense two-day contest between India’s two fastest sprinters. Gurindervir started the rivalry on Friday, breaking Animesh’s previous national record of 10.18 seconds with a 10.17-second run in the semifinals. Shortly afterward, Animesh countered with a 10.15-second performance, reclaiming the record.

The showdown set the stage for a highly anticipated final, where Gurindervir delivered his best race ever. He burst out of the blocks and maintained his speed to the finish line, crossing well ahead of Animesh, who came in second in 10.20s. Pranav Gurav finished third in 10.29s.

Gurindervir’s time exceeded the national record and easily surpassed the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification standard of 10.16s for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, although final selection still depends on federation approval.

This achievement represents another significant milestone in Gurindervir’s comeback journey. Three years prior, the Punjab sprinter was sidelined for nearly a year because of a severe digestive illness that challenged his physical and mental strength. Since then, he has gradually restored his career, improving from a national record of 10.20s to becoming the first Indian to break into the rare ‘10.0s’ range.

The event in Ranchi was more than a mere race. It marked a key milestone in the escalating rivalry between Gurindervir and Animesh, two sprinters driving Indian athletics into previously unexplored realms.

Final selection, however, is up to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Source: IANS

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Ranchi, May 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) An incredible performance by two male sprinters---Gurvindervir Singh and Vishal TK---- set the track ablaze with record-breaking performance to establish new benchmarks while Tejaswin Shankar became the first Indian decathlete to cross 8000 points in the Senior Nationals Federation Cup athletics at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Saturday.

On a blockbuster day, Gurvindervir Singh, 25, was the first to enter the record books. The Punjab sprinter representing Reliance at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition, clocked 10.09 seconds to reclaim his men’s 100m crown. The newly-crowned champion had clocked 10.17 seconds in the semis on Friday. “This record is to prove that I’m not finished and still have power in my legs,” says Gurvindervir Singh in post-race interaction.

The men’s 100m champion also achieved the Glasgow Commonwealth Games qualification time of 10.16 seconds. He also bettered the meet record of 10.18 seconds set by Animesh Kujur last year.

On Gurvindervir Singh’s outstanding performance, his coach, James Hillier, says he expects his athlete to further improve in the coming months. “He is learning to execute the plans in the races, and his performance graph is getting better,” says James Hillier.

But it wasn’t Animesh Kujur’s day. He finished second with a time of 10.20 seconds. Animesh Kujur had, in fact, clocked 10.15 seconds in the second semis on Friday.

A couple of minutes after Gurindervir Singh’s record-breaking performance, focus shifted to the men's quarter-mile race. Vishal TK became the first Indian athlete to break 45 seconds for the 400m on Indian soil. His gold-winning time of 44.98 seconds was better than his national record of 45.12 seconds clocked last year in Chennai. “Athletics fans will certainly keep a track of me when I compete at the global level,” says Vishal TK of conquering new territory on Saturday.

In his preparation to break the 45-second barrier, Vishal TK says he had visualised the race. “I was confident of breaking 45 seconds today,” says the Tamil Nadu sprinter.

Away from track races, the spotlight was on Tejaswin Shankar as he became the first Indian to join the 8000 points club in decathlon. His gold-winning performance of 8057 in Ranchi was better than his own national record of 7947 points set earlier this year in March. He also bettered the Glasgow Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 7787 points.

Results:

Men

100m: Gurindervir Singh (Reliance) 10.09 (NR previous record 10.18 secs in 2025), Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.20 secs, Pranav Pramod (Reliance) 10.29 secs.

400m: Vishal TK (Tamil Nadu) 44.98 secs (MR improved his own time of 45.12 secs), Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.31 secs, Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 45.47 secs

Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar (Reliance) 8057 points (NR previous best 7947 points), Thowfeeq N (NCOE Trivandrum) 7530 points, Gokul KR (Navy) 7157 points.

Women

100m: Sudeshna H (Maharashtra) 11.56 secs, Giridharani Ravikumar (Tamil Nadu) 11.58 secs, Tamanna (Haryana) 11.62 secs.

400m: Vithya Ramjaj (Tamil Nadu) 52.22 secs, Ansa Babi (All India Police) 53.07 secs, Prachi (JSW) 53.26 secs.

1500m: Pooja (JSW) 4:11.34, Ankita (Uttarakhand) 4:12.28, Anju (Haryana) 4:21.26.

Javelin throw: Shilpa Rani (Haryana) 56.46m, Annu Rani (Uttar Pradesh) 55.61m, Rashmi K (Andhra Pradesh) 54.85m

Shot put: Krishna Jayashankar (Reliance) 17.35m, Yogita (Haryana) 16.82m, Shiksha (Reliance) 16.61m.

Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m (MR previous 4.06m in the name of Krishna R), Nitika Anup (Madhya Pradesh) 4.10m, Krishna Rachan (Railway sports) 3.90m.

Triple jump: Niharika Vashisht (Punjab) 13.64m (MR improved his own record of 13.57m), Bhairabi Roy (Railway sports) 13.28m, Mallala Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 13.28m.

Source: IANS

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Ahmedabad, May 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) More than 2,000 athletes from 27 states are expected to participate in the fourth National Armwrestling and Para Armwrestling Championship 2026 at Gujarat's Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), making it the largest edition of the national event so far, officials said.

Officials on Friday added that this is the first time the championship will be hosted on the university's campus at Lavad in Gandhinagar.

The championship will be organised jointly by the People's Armwrestling Federation India (PAFI), the Armwrestling Federation of Gujarat and RRU from May 29 to June 2.

Organisers said the event is being held pursuant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of strengthening India's sports culture and reviving the country's civilisational values and ethos through sporting initiatives.

The inaugural ceremony scheduled for May 30 will see the participation of several leading figures associated with the sport, including PAFI President Preeti Jhangiani, Pro Panja League owner Praveen Dabas and representatives of the Armwrestling Association of Gujarat, including General Secretary Rajender Singh Parmar and Treasurer Mayank Patel.

Organisers said the scale of this year's event reflects the growing popularity of armwrestling and para armwrestling across India.

The third PAFI National Armwrestling Championship, held in Kerala's Thrissur had recorded participation from around 1,700 athletes representing 25 states.

The upcoming edition at RRU is expected to exceed that figure with representation from 27 states and more than 2,000 competitors.

Participation data released ahead of the event indicates that the Northeastern states will send the largest contingent with nearly 350 athletes.

Kerala is expected to field 289 participants, while Uttar Pradesh will send around 140 athletes. Host state, Gujarat, is expected to have a contingent of 105 athletes.

The RRU said the championship underlines its commitment to promoting physical education and sporting excellence at the national level through its School of Physical Education and Sports.

"The event also carries added significance following remarks made by President Droupadi Murmu during the university's fifth convocation ceremony, where she appreciated the institution's contribution to sports and physical education and congratulated RRU student N. Roshibina Devi for her achievements in international competitions, including the Asian Games in Wushu," officials added.

Officials noted the championship forms part of RRU's broader efforts to strengthen its institutional capacity to organise major sporting events ahead of its role as host institution for the 2029 World Police and Fire Games.

The initiative also aligns with Gujarat's expanding role in India's sports ecosystem and Ahmedabad's long-term vision linked to the country's aspiration to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

Describing the championship as a landmark event for the university, organisers said the competition would bring together athletes, para-athletes, sports administrators and officials from across the country on a single platform while furthering the development of armwrestling as a competitive sport in India.

Source: IANS

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Ranchi, May 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Odisha’s ace sprinter Animesh Kujur set the national men’s 100m record in the semifinal round of the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competitions in Ranchi on Friday, to win a ticket to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Seema also achieved CWG qualification mark in women’s discus throw.

Kujur, 22, bettered the national record to 10.15 seconds in the second semifinal round on day one of the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition here at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium. The Commonwealth Games qualification time in men’s 100m was 10.16 seconds.

The spotlight was on men’s 100m sprinters on Friday. The national record was shattered twice within a short span of time. Gurindervir Singh, dominating the first semis, clocked 10.17 seconds to better the previous national record of 10.18 seconds set by Kujur last year.

Excitement reached its zenith as a few minutes later, Kujur, racing in the second semis, clocked 10.15 seconds to reclaim his national record. “It’s all about hard work,” says jubilant Animesh Kujur on winning tickets to Glasgow.

Both Kujur and Singh also improved the meet record of 10.25 set by Manikanta Hoblidhar in 2025.

Seema was the second athlete on day one to achieve the CWG qualification mark in the women’s discus throw. Her gold-winning throw of 57.29m was better than the CWG qualification mark of 56.85m.

Fierce competition was also witnessed at the jumping arena on the opening day. India’s two heavyweights in women’s long jump—Shaili Singh and Ancy Sojan—battled it out to stay ahead of the other. Eventually, it was Ancy’s day out as she raced to victory with a distance of 6.75m, bettering the meet record of 6.64m set by Shaili Singh last year in Kochi. Ancy had a steady series of 6.47m, 6.56m, 6.69m, 6.75m, 6.68m, and 6.57m.

Earlier in the morning session, Deepak Bhatt of Uttarakhand won the men's 10,000m race with a time of 29:42.93 seconds. Ravina Gayakwad of Maharashtra won the women’s 10,000m race with a time of 35:30.98 secs.

Results (Day one):

Men:

10,000m (CWG Q time 27:39.03): Deepak Bhatt (Uttarakhand) 29:42.93, Shailesh Kushwaha (Karnataka) 29:57. 56, Prashant Choudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 30:36.97.

3,000m steeplechase (CWG Q mark 8:30.26): Balkishan (Haryana) 8:56.01, Sharuk Khan (Uttar Pradesh) 8:56.63, Sunil Joliya (Gujarat) 8:58.38.

Hammer throw (CWG Q mark 73.09m): Ashish Jakhar (SSCB) 68.52m, Damneet Singh (Reliance) 67.62m, Ajay Kumar (Haryana) 64.93m.

Women:

10,000m (CWG Q time 31:14.14): Ravina Gayakwad (Maharashtra) 35:30.98 secs, Soniya (Uttarakhand) 36:16.22, Aarti Pawara (Maharashtra) 36:24.79 secs.

3,000m steeplechase (CWG Q mark 9:27.41): Ankita (Uttarakhand) 9:48.16, Prachi Devkar (IOCL) 10:16.29, Anju (Haryana) 10:28.23.

Long jump (CWG Q mark 6.84m): Ancy Sojan (Navy) 6.75m (MR), Shaili Singh (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.58m, Bhavani Yadav (NCOE Bengaluru) 6.39m. Discus throw (CWG Q mark 56.85m): Seema (JSW) 57.29m, Nidhi Rani (Haryana) 55.05m, Krishna Jayashankar (Reliance) 55m.

Source: IANS

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Ranchi, May 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) Good weather conditions at this time of the year in Ranchi will be an advantage for the athletes during the four-day 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competitions, says Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in men’s high jump, Tejaswin Shankar.

Many other top athletes agreed to his assessment as the national athletics circuit gears up for the mega event of the domestic circuit, the last opportunity to qualify for the Indian squads for the Commonwealth Games, which starts on Friday.

Shankar, 27, will compete in the gruelling decathlon in Ranchi, which will be the last domestic competition for aspiring athletes to achieve the qualification standard set by AFI (Athletics Federation of India) for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games starting July 23.

“I’ve been camping here for the last two days to get used to local weather conditions, and surprisingly, the weather has been good in the morning and evening,” Shankar told the media on the eve of the Ranchi competition. “Recovery between each of the ten disciplines in the decathlon, spread over two days, is important to perform at an optimum level.”

The Indian contingent had won eight medals, including gold in men’s triple jump through Eldhouse Paul at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Shankar had won a bronze medal in the men’s high jump in Birmingham. However, this time his focus will be on the decathlon and not the high jump. “I’m all set to achieve my goal here in Ranchi,” says Shankar with an air of confidence.

India’s talented sprinter Animesh Kujur says his main focus during the four-day competition will be on the 200m. “I’m mentally and physically prepared to give my best here in Ranchi," Kujur, 22, holds men’s 100m and 200m national records. “The weather conditions are okay in Ranchi, and I have to perform exceptionally well to board the flight for Glasgow,” says India’s leading sprinter.

Kujur will also be competing in the men's 100m sprint on the opening day. “The field is competitive, but I’m ready,” says the top sprinter.

The cream of Indian track and field will be seen in action at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi). As per the guidelines of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, a maximum of 16 and 16 women athletes will be given entry. “The AFI selection panel will take a final call on the strength of the Indian team,” says Lalit Bhanot, Chairman of the AFI Planning Commission.

Apart from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ranchi competition will also act as final selection trials for the National U23 Athletics squad. Jay Kumar, a talented 400m runner, will be one to watch in the U23 group.

Medals will be decided in seven events on the opening day on Friday. The men’s 10,000m will be the first event of the four-day meet.

The men’s 100m and 400m first round is scheduled for the morning session on Friday. The semis in both 100m and 400m are scheduled for the evening session.

Medals will also be decided in women’s long jump, discus throw, and men’s hammer throw on Friday. The men's and women’s 3000m steeplechase final is the last event of the opening day.

Source: IANS

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Riyadh, May 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) Animesh Kujur and Mohammed Afsal continued their impressive run of form on the international circuit by clinching victories in their respective events at the Saudi Athletics Grand Prix 2026 in Riyadh on Friday.

At the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Stadium, national record holder Afsal clocked a strong finish to win the men’s 800m race in 1:48.24. The Indian runner pipped South Africa’s Christopher Swart who finished in 1:48.50. Werner Gouws was third in 1:48.75.

Afsal, who holds the Indian national record of 1:44.93 set in Poland last year, added another good international show to his credit after bagging silver at the 2023 Asian Games with a time of 1:48.43.

The Saudi Athletics Grand Prix is a Bronze meeting on the World Athletics Continental Tour calendar and has attracted athletes from several nations.

Kujur also lived up to his billing as the fastest sprinting talent in the country by winning the men’s 200m title in 20.77 seconds. Great Britain's David Harrison (20.87s) and Toby Harries (21.01s) were beaten by the 22-year-old. Earlier, Kujur had finished agonisingly close to the top in the men’s 100m, clocking 10.44 seconds to finish second to Harrison who won the race in 10.42 seconds. Former Indian national record holder Gurindervir Singh also clocked 10.44 seconds but was forced to settle for third after a photo finish. Kujur currently holds the national record for both the sprint events in India.

Last year, he clocked 10.18 seconds in Greece to break the 100m national mark before later setting a new 200m record of 20.32 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championships.

The young sprinter was also in great form arriving in Riyadh after completing a sprint double at the Indian Athletics Series in New Delhi last month, winning both the 100m and 200m races.

M Krishik gave India another podium finish, coming third in the men’s 110m hurdles with a time of 13.90 seconds. It was the first international competition of the Indian indoor champion in the 60m hurdles and the 22-year-old...

A first place finish in 40.49 seconds ahead of hosts Saudi Arabia (41.89 seconds) capped off a successful outing for the Indian men’s 4x100m relay team. Of the 5 teams that entered, only 2 ultimately began the relay race.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) India’s talented long jumper Shahnavaz Khan is among the 48-member national track and field team that will compete in the upcoming Asian U20 Athletics Championships to be held in Hong Kong from May 28.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selected the athletes on the basis of their performance in the domestic competition. Shahnavaz Khan’s outstanding performance of 8.23m, a national U20 long jump record, was recorded at the just concluded 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Cup held in Karnataka.

Mohammed Ashfaq (400m and relay), Nitin Gupta (5000m race walk), and Pooja (high jump) are other prominent athletes in the national team for the continental U20 meet.

The Indian team:

Men U20: Rudra Sachin Shinde (200m 4x100m relay), Mohammed Ashfaq (400m, 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay), Piyush Raj (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Venkatram Reddy Mogali (800m), Sandeep Yadav, Vikas Kumar (3000m), Nikhil C (3000m steeplechase), Kiran Kunchan (110mh), Jashanpreet Singh, Amit Kumar (400mh), Nitin Gupta, Tushar Panwar (5000m race walk), Basant (high jump), Shahnavaz Khan, Jithin Arjunan Raman (Long jump), Royshan Poorna Chandrasekar (triple jump), Nishchay (discus throw), Ashuvendra Pratap Singh, Aman (hammer throw), Ashish Yadav (javelin throw), Upkar, Rahul Jakhar (Decathlon), Anshu Rajak, Aditya Pisal, Nived Krishna J, Mehebubul Ahamed, Ranjith Kumar Senthil Kumar, Sayed Sabeer, Nakul Prabhu, Abhay Kumar Dubey (4x100m relay).

Women U20: Nipam (100, 4x100m relay), Bhumika Sanjay Nehate (200m, 4x100 relay, mixed 4x100m relay), Aarti (200m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Neeru Pathak (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Tahura Khutan (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m), Muskan (5,000m), Mansi Avinash Yadav, Aisha Verma (3000m SC), Pooja (high jump), Sadhana Ravi (triple jump), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Poonam (javelin throw), Bhavana G (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (4x100m relay), Sehnoor Bawa (4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Kavita (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Mehardeep Kaur (4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay).

Source: IANS

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Chennai, May 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Asian Games silver medallist in men’s long jump, Murali Sreeshankar, stamped his authority during the sixth leg of the Indian Athletics Series, recording a jump of 8.04m to win the men's long jump title at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

Of the six legal attempts, the star long jumper from Kerala had three legal jumps. His second jump was 7.90m, while his fourth attempt was 8.04m. He dug deep in his last and final attempt to further improve his performance, but settled for 7.97m.

Earlier in April, a 27-year-old recorded a jump of 8.15m, a season best during a domestic meet in Bengaluru. Recently, during the South African exposure tour, he recorded a jump of 8.12m.

There was an exciting contest in the men’s 110m hurdles. Tejas Ashok Shirse (Reliance) and Krishik M (Reliance) battled for first place, but it was the former who stole the show with a time of 13.43 secs. Krishik was in close second with a time of 13.44 secs.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, all three medal winners dipped below 50 seconds. Santhosh Kumar T. (NCOE Trivandrum) was the winner with a time of 49.47 secs.

Results:

Men:

100m: Pranav Pramod (Reliance) 10.32 seconds, Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) 10.42 secs, Abhay Singh (Reliance) 10.47 secs.

200m: Rajesh Ramesh (NCOE Trivandrum) 21.23 secs, Abhin B Devadiga (Karnataka) 21.33 secs, Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 21.36 secs.

Men: U20: 200m Yuvaraj S (Tamil Nadu) 21.86 secs, Hariharan R (NCOE Trivandrum) 22.33 secs, Aditya Bantanur (Karnataka) 22.68 secs.

400m: Jay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 46.03 secs, Manu TS (NCOE Trivandrum) 46.60 secs, Setu Mishra (NCOE Trivandrum) 46.67 secs.

Men: U20: 400m: Hariharan R (NCOE Trivandrum) 47.55 secs, Munna Kumar (Assam) 48.23 secs, Karampeta Shivakumar (Telangana) 48.96 secs.

800m: Krishan Kumar (Haryana) 1:47.23 secs, Aman Kumar (Army) 1:47.95 secs, Shyam Milan Bind (Uttar Pradesh) 1:48.27

5,000m: Abhishek Pal (Railway Sports) 13:57.02 secs, Shivaji Parashuram (Karnataka) 13:58.13 secs, Shailesh Kushwaha (Karnataka) 14:01.82 secs.

110m hurdles: Tejas Ashok Shirse (Reliance) 13.43 secs, Krishik M (Reliance) 13.44 secs, Rathish (Reliance) 14.10 secs.

400m hurdles: Santhosh Kumar T (NCOE Trivandrum) 49.47 secs, Yashas P (Karnataka) 49.64 secs, Jabir MP (Navy) 49.93 secs.

3,000m steeplechase: Sharuk Khan (Uttar Pradesh) 8:47,81, Balkishan (Haryana) 8:49.33, Shubham Shridhar (Maharashtra) 8:49.39.

High jump: Aadarsh Ram (Tamil Nadu) 2.27m, Swadhin Kumar Majhi (Odisha) 2.10m, Sunil M (Tamil Nadu) 2.05m.

Triple jump: Praveen Chithravel (JSW) 16.95m, Mohanraj J (Tamil Nadu) 16.50m, Mohammed Muhassin (Navy) 16.25m.

Long jump: Sreeshankar M (Kerala) 8.04m, David P (NOCE Bangaluru) 7.77m, Mohammed Muhassin (Navy) 7.76m.

Men: U20: Long jump: Jithin Arjunan RC (JSW) 7.56m, Hemanga Borgohain (Assam) 6.99m, Ruthresh Balaji B (JSW) 6.95m.

Men: U20: Triple jump: Dhanush Raj (Kerala) 15.03m, Jaiganesh M (Tamil Nadu) 13.92m, Akashkumar K (Tamil Nadu) 13.90m.

Men: U20: Pole vault: Kavinraja S (Tamil Nadu) 5.00m, Divakar M (Tamil Nadu) 4.60m, S Kumar (Tamil Nadu) 4.40m.

Javelin throw: Arshdeep Singh (Punjab) 77.04m, Parmod (Haryana) 76.16m, Sahil Silwal (Haryana) 74.34m.

Discus throw: Nirbhay Singh (NCOE Patiala) 55.54m, Bhartpreet Singh (Reliance) 53.70m, Abhimanyu (JSW) 53.64m.

Shot put: S Kumaran (Tamil Nadu) 17.66m, Balaji (Tamil Nadu) 16.83m, Prajwal M Shetty (Karnataka) 15.70m.

Women:

100m: Giridharani R (Tamil Nadu) 11.51 secs, Harita Bhadra (Reliance) 11.55 secs, Tamanna (Haryana) 11.59 secs.

Women: U20: 100m: Bhavana G (Tamil Nadu) 11.93 secs, Ananya Suresh (Kerala) 12.08 secs, Suchithra S (JSW) 12.12 secs.

200m: Nithya Gandhe (NCOE Trivandrum) 24.11 secs, Sudeshna H (Maharashtra) 24.40 secs, Prakruthi Roopa (Karnataka) 24.48 secs.

Women: U20: 200m: Ananya Suresh (Kerala) 24.71 secs, Monika Raha (West Bengal) 24.72 secs, Prisha Mishra (Haryana) 24.77 secs.

400m: MR Poovamma (ONGC) 53.38 secs, Ansa Babu (All India Police) 53.50 secs, Vijayakumari GK (Karnataka) 53.58 secs.

800m: Thota S (IOCL) 2:06.75 secs, Kavitha V (Tamil Nadu) 2:07.10 secs, Gowthami J (All India Police) 2:08.06 secs.

5,000m: Aarti Pawara (Maharashtra) 17:06.69 secs, Sanghamitra (IOCL) 17:08.99 secs, Mitali Deepak B (Maharashtra) 17:09.66

Women: U20 100m hurdles: Anjali C (JSW) 13.53 secs, Nandhini K (Tamil Nadu) 13.61 secs, Yamini Karthikeyan (Tamil Nadu) 13.83 secs.

400m hurdles: Anu R (Reliance) 56.95 secs, Sinchal Kaveramma (NCOE Bengaluru) 58.31 secs, Gudiya (Uttar Pradesh) 59.37 secs.

3000m steeplechase: Prachi Devkar (IOCL) 10:09.00, Susmita Tigga (Odisha) 10:37.00, Nikita (IOCL) 10:38.00.

Long jump: Sherin A (JSW) 6.07m, Merylann Mathew (Anju Bobby Sports) 5.85m, Lakshanya SN (Tamil Nadu) 5.82m.

Women: U20 Long jump: Jasmine Mathachan (Kerala) 5.48m, Magheli B (JSW) 5.27m, Bavatharani Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 5.04m.

High jump: Abhinaya S Shetty (JSW) 1.71m, Athira Somaraj (All India Police) 1.71m, Kevinaa (Tamil Nadu) 1.68m.

Women: U20: High jump: Juin Mantusa (West Bengal) 1.68m, A Alice Deva Prasanna (Tamil Nadu) 1.60m, Anamika A (Kerala) 1.60m.

Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.10m, Sindhushree G (Karnataka) 4.00m, Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) 3.90m.

Triple jump: I Ilango (Tamil Nadu) 13.52m, Sadhana Ravi (Tamil Nadu) 13.02m, Mallala Anusha (Andhra Pradesh) 12.94m.

Discus throw: Nidhi Rani (Haryana) 58.82m, Krishna Jayasankar (Tamil Nadu) 53.27m, Akhila Raju (Kerala) 50.27m.

Javelin throw: Krishma S (Reliance) 53.03m, Ramyashree J (Karnataka) 46.41m, P Arpita Archana (Reliance) 42.45m.

Shot put: Krishna Jayashankar (Tamil Nadu) 16.96m, Vidhi (Uttar Pradesh) 15.77m, Anshu (Haryana) 15.52m.

Source: IANS

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Sangrur, May 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Punjab’s 31 years old seasoned thrower dominated the men's shot put at the fifth-leg of the Indian Athletics Series in Sangrur, Punjab on Saturday. His best throw was 19.97m.

Asian Games champion in men’s shot put, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, is gearing up for upcoming major domestic competition later this month in Ranchi.

“Main goal this season is to peak in major international meets,” says the national record holder.

Toor’s season best of 21.03m was recorded earlier in April at the Delhi-leg of Indian Athletics Series.

The Sangrur leg of one-day Indian Athletics Series was also a good chance for two-time Olympian and Asian Games champion in women’s javelin throw, Annu Rani, to test her preparation for the challenging season ahead. The 33 years old finished third with a throw of 55.78m on Saturday.

In an exciting women’s javelin throw event, Haryana’s Shilpa Rani was first (57.65m) while Rashmi K of Andhra Pradesh took the second spot (56.15m).

Harjit Singh of Air Force and Fatema Begam of Tripura emerged as fastest and female runners of the one-day meet in Sangrur, respectively. Fatema also won the women's 200m dash.

Haryana’s Kiran Pahal was comfortable winner (54.07 seconds) of women’s 400m race.

Results:

Men:100m: Harjit Singh (Air Force) 10.32 secs, Sam Vasanth S (Tamil Nadu) 10.48 secs, Adesh Garsa (All India Police) 10.51 secs.

Men: U20: 100m: Tipan Das (West Bengal) 10.68 secs, Yuvraj Singh Chib (Jammu and Kashmir) 10.70 secs, Jamil Ali (Uttar Pradesh) 10.78 secs.

200m: Dharambir (Haryana) 21.49 seconds, Raja Babu (Haryana) 21.67 secs, Sonu Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 21.80 secs.

400m: Prakhar Sharma (Uttarakhand) 46.90 secs, Yashwant Singh (Rajasthan) 46.92 secs, Tarandeep Singh (Punjab) 47.04 secs.

800m: Vinod Kumar (Telangana) 1:49.62, Amit Kumar (Haryana) 1:50.68, Shakeel (Rajasthan) 1:50.81.

Men: U20: 800m: Suraj Singh (Uttarakhand) 1:53.48, Dev (Haryana) 1:53.57, Harmandeep Singh (Punjab) 1:53.67.

1500m: Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 3:48.46 secs, Rahul Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 3:51.69, Sumit Kumar (Army) 3:52.36.

Men: U20: 1500m: Rahul Sarnaliya (Uttarakhand) 3:58.88, Rahul Godara (Rajasthan) 3:59.05, Priyanshu (Uttarakhand) 3:50.20.

5,000m: Sharashank M (Madhya Pradesh) 14:54.36 secs, Rajesh Manmya (Rajasthan) 15:02.74, Sandeep Pal (Uttar Pradesh) 15:02.84.

10,000m: Pankaj Kumar (All India Police) 30:04.77, Satish Kumar Verma (Uttar Pradesh) 30:06.88, Rajesh Manmya (Rajasthan) 30:12.13.

3000m steeplechase: Prince Raj Mishra (Railway Sports) 9:04.26 secs, Gurlal Singh (Army) 9:04.43 secs, Hemant (Haryana) 9:09.54 secs.

Triple jump: Jagseer Singh (Rajasthan) 15.11m, Akarshit Pratap Singh (Punjab) 14.99m, Ajay (Haryana) 14.90m.

Long jump: Amitra Ghosh (Railway Sports) 7.85m, Avinash Kumar (Haryana) 7.80m, Rajat (Uttar Pradesh) 7.55m.

Men: U20: Long jump: Dinesh Tanwar (Haryana) 7.11m, Harshdeep Singh (Rajasthan) 6.88m, Abhay Singh (BSF) 6.63m.

High jump: Gurjeet S (Haryana) 2.12m, Rohit (Haryana) 2.05m, Sunil Kumar (Rajasthan) 2.00m.

Pole vault: Aayush Tanwar (Haryana) 4.50m, Anshu Patel (Madhya Pradesh) 4.50m, Dinesh Dalal (Haryana) 4.50m.

Hammer throw: Damneet Singh (Reliance) 68.37m, Praveen Kumar (Rajasthan) 64.98m, Ajay Kumar (Haryana) 62.54m.

Shot put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Punjab) 19.97m, Sanyam (Haryana) 19.09m, Karanveer Singh (Punjab) 18.79m.

Javelin throw: Rohit Yadav (Railway Sports) 78.82m, Vipul Yadav (Rajasthan) 76.31m, Arshdeep Singh (Punjab) 76.29m.

Women: 100m: Fatema Begam (Tripura) 11.98 seconds, Preet Kaur (Punjab) 12.30 secs, Dona Dhaked (Rajasthan) 12.31 secs.

Women: U20: 100m: Lovejot Kaur (Punjab) 12.35 secs, Shubhneet Kaur (Punjab) 12.67 secs, Vandana Kumari (Rajasthan) 13.12 secs.

200m: Fatema Begam (Tripura) 23.97 seconds, Kusum Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) 24.08 secs, Rishita Kaur (Rajasthan) 24.36 secs.

400m: Kiran Pahal (Haryana) 54.07 seconds, Rama Tanwar (Rajasthan) 55.71 secs, Kiranpal Kaur (Punjab) 55.98 secs

Women: U20: 800m: Sehnoor Bawa (Punjab) 2:13.03, Deepika (Rajasthan) 2:14.76, Harpreet Kaur (Punjab) 2:21.66.

Women: U20: 1500m: Snehal Kharat (Maharashtra) 4:32.63, Nancy Choudhary (Himachal Pradesh) 4:52.82, Anney Toppo (Delhi) 5:18.68.

1500m: Preeti Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 4:37.53 secs, Shivani Hudda (All India Police) 4:42.61 secs, Sangam (Delhi) 5:21.50 secs.

5,000m: Anita (Haryana) 17:49.56 secs, Chatru (Rajasthan) 17:52.40 secs, Shraddha Rajanikant (Gujarat) 18:02.42.

10,000m: Sonam (Delhi) 35:54.70, Shreya (Uttar Pradesh) 36:03,59, KM Mamta (All India Police) 36:08.54.

3,000m steeplechase: Rebi Pal (Railway Sports) 11:10.08 secs, Khushbu Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) 11:10.76 secs, Bhagyashree L (Gujarat) 11:20.33 secs.

Triple jump: Niharika Vashist (Punjab) 13.13m, Arshdeep Kaur (Punjab) 12.53m, Martina Ilisiyus (Madhya Pradesh) 12.29m.

High jump: Reet Rathor (Uttar Pradesh) 1.80m, Khyati Mathur (Uttar Pradesh) 1.78m, Manshi (Railway Sports) 1.70m.

Long jump: Nidhi (All India Police) 5.85m, Soniya (Uttar Pradesh) 5.74m, Anjali (Haryana) 5.58m.

Pole vault: Nidhi (Haryana) 3.20m, Shabnam (Haryana) 3.00m, Rajni (Haryana) 3.00m.

Hammer throw: Kulvinder Kaur (Railway Sports) 57.42m, Nithya B (Tamil Nadu) 55.39m, Haqikat Grewal (Punjab) 53.89m.

Shot put: Manpreet Kaur (Railway Sports) 17.33m, Vidhi (Uttar Pradesh) 16.35m, Yogita (NCOE Patiala) 16.18m.

Women: U20: Javelin throw: Bhavya Pilania (Haryana) 47.36m, Navpreet Kaur (Punjab) 43.11m, Arya Mohite (Maharashtra) 42.48m.

Javelin throw: Shilpa Rani (Haryana) 57.65m, Rashmi K (Andhra Pradesh) 56.15m, Annu Rani (Railway Sports) 55.78m

Source: IANS

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The 29-year-old cleared 4.23m on her third attempt to surpass her previous mark of 4.22m, which she had set at the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships at the same venue in late March. The Indoor Stadium has clearly been a favourable arena for the vaulter, who has now made Bhubaneswar her training base after moving from Tamil Nadu.

“It was another good day for me,” Baranica said after her record-setting effort, reflecting on her consistent improvement in recent weeks.

In the men’s heptathlon, Thowfeeq N of NCOE Trivandrum maintained his dominance to clinch the gold medal with a total of 5,350 points. Having taken the lead on Day One with 2,943 points, he stayed ahead of the competition to finish on top. Usaid Khan of the Army secured second place with 5,288 points, while Odisha’s Jashbir Nayak finished third with 5,250 points.

The men’s U20 heptathlon title went to Tamil Nadu’s Kirthik Vasan S, who accumulated 4,609 points. Jinoy Jayan of NCOE Trivandrum (4,518 points) and Aryan Parkash of Madhya Pradesh (4,509 points) completed the podium.

In the women’s pentathlon, Odisha’s Purnima Hembram emerged victorious with 3,835 points. Uttarakhand’s Isha Chandra Prakash (3,671 points) and West Bengal’s Bidisha Kundu (3,600 points) finished second and third respectively.

The women’s U20 pentathlon saw Jaskiran Kaur of Uttarakhand claim the top spot with 3,272 points, followed by Haryana’s Priya (3,133 points) and Punjab’s Alfaz Kaur Grewal (3,066 points).

In the women’s pole vault, Nitika of Madhya Pradesh and Kerala’s Blessy Kunjumon shared second place, both clearing 3.90m.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian quartet of Dharamveer Choudhary, Rajesh Ramesh, Vishal TK, and Manu T.S. clocked an impressive time of 3:00.32 seconds, a season best, in the men’s 4x400m to finish fourth in their heat 3 on day one of World Athletics Relays at Gaborone’s National Stadium on Saturday.

The top two teams in each heat advanced to the final round on Sunday and earned an automatic spot for the World Athletics Championships 2027 in Beijing.

Sunday will be the second qualifying round. The Indian men’s 4x400m team, which finished overall 12th in the field today, has another chance to qualify for the Worlds on Sunday.

India's season-best time of 3:01.43 in the 4x400m relay was clocked earlier this season in Chandigarh. The national record of 2:59.05 was set at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

The national women’s 4x100m team of Tamanna, Nithya Gandhe, Sudeshna S, and Sneha SS, with a time of 43.97 seconds, a season best, finished fifth in heat 1. The Indian women’s team finished overall 13th.

The men’s 4x100m squad also clocked a season-best time of 39.07 seconds. The members were Harsh Raut, Ragul Kumar, Animesh Kujur, and Gurindervir Singh.

The 4x400m mixed relay team of Theerthesh P Shetty, Ansa Babu, Amoj Jacob, Rashdeep Kaur finished sixth in heat 1. The Indian team clocked 3:16.00 seconds, season best. The 4x100m mixed relay team didn’t finish the race in the first qualification round on Saturday.

The national women’s 4x100m relay team is grouped in heat 1. Other teams include Ireland, Australia, Canada, the USA, Poland, and Spain. India’s season best time is 44.18 seconds.

The Indian mixed 4x100m relay team is clubbed in heat 2. Paraguay, Belgium, Spain, China, the USA, France, and Poland are the other teams in the qualification round. India's season-best time of 42.30 seconds was clocked earlier this season during a domestic meet in Chandigarh.

In the mixed 4x400m relay, India is grouped in heat 1. Uganda, Ireland, the USA, Belgium, Spain, and Australia are other nations grouped in heat 1.

Source: IANS

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Bhubaneswar, May 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kuldeep Kumar, representing Madhya Pradesh, won a battle of wits to set the national men’s pole vault record on the opening day of the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition at the Indoor Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

The 21-year-old cleared the height of 5.41m in his first attempt to better the national record of 5.40m set last year by Dev Kumar Meena. Kuldeep Kumar also improved the national indoor record of 5.30m set earlier in March by Reegan G of Tamil Nadu. The newly-crowned champion missed all three attempts at 5.46m. “It was a good day for me,” says Kuldeep Kumar after breaking the national record.

Dev Kumar Meena was in good form. Earlier this year, he had equalled his national record (5.40m) in March in Taiwan. He was the pre-event favourite but settled for the bronze medal on Saturday.

It was the first indoor competition for Kuldeep Kumar. He found it challenging to get a good rhythm on the fast Mondo track here at Bhubaneswar’s indoor stadium. “It was a good experience today,” says Kuldeep Kumar. The contest for the gold medal was between three athletes---Dev Kumar Meena, Kuldeep Kumar, and Reegan G.

As the competition progressed, Dev Kumar Meena struggled and settled for bronze (5.20m). Reegan G made attempts to cross 5.35m, but missed all three chances. He settled for silver (5.25m).

Kuldeep Kumar cleared 5.35m in his second attempt. It gave a big boost to his confidence. He raised the bar to 5.41m, setting a positive tone for the major outdoor domestic competition at the end of May in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The pre-event favourite and former national record holder, Dev Kumar Meena, says it wasn’t his day. But I was excited that the bar was raised to 5.41m. “It is always good to aim for new goals,” says Dev Kumar Meena of the national record set by Kuldeep Kumar. Both Dev Kumar Meena and Kuldeep Kumar practice at the same venue in Madhya Pradesh.

The upcoming outdoor season will be more exciting. The top three pole vaulters here in Bhubaneswar will be aiming to earn a place in the national team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Japan.

An exciting contest was also witnessed in the heptathlon. Thowfeeq N. of NCOE Trivandrum was leading on the first day with 2943 points. Odisha’s Jashbir Nayak was close behind at second place with 2927 points.

Day One events in the heptathlon were 60m, long jump, shot put, and high jump. The Day Two events will be 60m hurdles, pole vault, and 1000 m.

Results:

Men:

Pole vault: Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) 5.41m (NR), Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) 5.25m, Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) 5.20m.

Men: U20: Pole vault: Kavinraja S (Tamil Nadu) 4.90m, R Vishal (Tamil Nadu) 4.70m, Saurabh Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 4.20m.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, May 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian athletes are ready to showcase their prowess at World Athletics Relays 2026, the prize-money global relay carnival which will be held on African soil for the first time on Saturday (May 2) and Sunday (May 3) in Gaborone, Botswana.

After an impressive performance during domestic competitions, the core group of sprinters will get a chance to test their ability against the best in the business. Saturday will be the first qualification round in all six relay events. The second round and final are scheduled for Sunday.

The top two in each of the heats will advance to the final and also earn a spot for the 2027 Beijing World Athletics Championships. As per the guidelines of World Athletics, the second round of qualification for the World Athletics Championships will take place on Sunday (May 3).

In the men’s 4x400m relay, India is clubbed in Heat 3. Japan is the second Asian nation in the same heat. Mexico, Switzerland, Qatar, Spain, Belgium, and Great Britain are other nations in the third heat.

India's season best time of 3:01.43 in the 4x400m relay was clocked earlier this season in Chandigarh. The national record of 2:59.05 was set at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

Host Botswana is grouped in heat 1. The two nations--Kenya and Zimbabwe--having season best times of 3:00.34 and 3:00.69, respectively, are in Heat 2.

The Indian shorter men's relay team (4x100m) is grouped in heat 3. India has a season best of 40.47 seconds. China is also clubbed in heat 3, Poland, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Great Britain are the other nations in heat 3.

The national women’s 4x100m relay team is grouped in heat 1. Other teams include Ireland, Australia, Canada, the USA, Poland, and Spain. India’s season best time is 44.18 seconds.

The Indian mixed 4x100m relay team is clubbed in heat 2. Paraguay, Belgium, Spain, China, the USA, France, and Poland are the other teams in the qualification round. India's season-best time of 42.30 seconds was clocked earlier this season during a domestic meet in Chandigarh.

In the mixed 4x400m relay, India is grouped in heat 1. Uganda, Ireland, the USA, Belgium, Spain, and Australia are other nations grouped in heat 1.

Source: IANS

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Tumkur, April 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Abhay Singh continued his superb performance by adding the 200m title to the 100m one he claimed two days back to complete a grand double as several national and meet records were improved on the final day of the 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition at the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium in Karnataka in Tumkur on Sunday.

The majority of the medal winners also achieved the Asian junior qualification mark in their respective events.

Sprinter Abhay Singh, representing Reliance, continued to dominate 200m on the final day, setting national as well as meet records. His gold-winning time of 20.82 seconds was better than the national record of 21.02 seconds set by N Srinivas in 2021. The meet record of 21.02 seconds also stands in the name of N Srinivas.

Basant was outstanding in the men’s high jump (2.21m). On his way to gold, he improved the meet record of 2.19m set by Ajay Kumar in 2015. Mogali Venkatram of Andhra Pradesh clocked 1:49.02 seconds to win the 800m. His performance was better than the national record (1:46.92 set by Beant Singh in 2017) and meet record (1:49.59) set by Pradeep Senthil Kumar in 2022.

Poonam also improved the meet record in women’s javelin throw (51.10m) set in 2004 by Sumar Devi. Her gold medal-winning distance was 51.64m.

Sadhana Ravi of Tamil Nadu won a gold medal in women’s triple jump with a meet record of 12.97m. The previous meet record was 12.87m set by Gayathri Govindaraj in 2009.

Results (Day 3):

Men

200m (Asian Jr A Time 21.28 secs): Abhay Singh (Reliance) 20.82 seconds (NR), Rushiraj Singh Gohil (Gujarat) 21.25 secs, Rudra Shinde (Maharashtra) 21.26 secs.

800m (Asian Jr Q Time 1:49.73): Mogali Venkatram (Andhra Pradesh) 1:49.02 (NR), Mayank Yadav (Rajasthan) 1:50.27 secs, Harshal Joge (Maharashtra) 1:50.69 secs.

3000m (Asian Jr Q Time 8:33.00): Sourabh Rawat (Uttarakhand) 8:25.63, Sandeep Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 8:26.88, Vikas Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 8:29.15.

400 m (Asian Jr Q Time 52.00 seconds): Jashanpreet Singh (Punjab) 51.80 secs, Amit Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 51.98 secs, Sahil Raj (Uttar Pradesh) 52.96 secs.

3000m steeplechase (Asian Jr Q Time 9:36.78): Sumit Rathee (Haryana) 9:28.04 seconds, Vedant Sanjay Tikine (Maharashtra) 9:31.48 secs, Nikhil C (Karnataka) 9:35.25 secs.

Javelin throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 65.31m): Rohan Yadav (NCOE Patiala) 73.37m, Ashish Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 73.12m, Rishabh Giri (Reliance) 72.96m.

Discus throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 50.41m): Nishchay (Haryana) 57.02m, Vaibhav (Himachal Pradesh) 56.09m, Ravi (Rajasthan) 54.34m.

Triple jump (Asian Jr Q Mark 15.62m): Royshan P (Tamil Nadu) 15.75m, Bhushan Shinde (Maharashtra) 15.67m, Dhanush Raj M (Kerala) 15.60m.

High jump (Asian Jr Q Mark 2.11m): Basant (Navy) 2.21m (MR), Afroz Ahmad (Jharkhand) 2.09m, Akash Kumar Verma (Delhi) 2.06m.

Women

200m (Asian Jr Q Time 24.34 seconds): Bhoomika Nehate (Maharashtra) 24.21 seconds, Aarti (Haryana) 24.46 secs, Neeru Pathak (NCOE Trivandrum) 24.50 secs.

800m (Asian Jr Q Time 2:07.56 seconds): Nagini (Karnataka) 2:12.06 secs, Vanshika (Uttar Pradesh) 2:13.30 secs, Geetika Dahiya (Haryana) 2:13.49 secs.

3000m (Asian Jr Q Time 9:38.91):: Sakshi Bhandari (Maharashtra) 9:45.43, Shradda Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 9:45.49, Dipika Sharma (Madhya Pradesh) 9:45.57.

400 m (Asian Jr Q Time 59.20 seconds): Tanu Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 59.38 secs, Apurva Anand Naik (Karnataka) 1:01.42 secs, Latika Dharan (Tamil Nadu) 1:01.43 secs.

3000m steeplechase (Asian Jr Q Time 11:31.35 seconds): Mani Yadav (Maharashtra) 11:10.59 seconds, Aisha Verma (Uttar Pradesh) 11:13.79, Anshu (Madhya Pradesh) 11:25.23.

Javelin throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 51.02m): Poonam (JSW) 51.64m (MR), Bhavya Pilania (JSW) 48.87m, Bhavya CJ (Karnataka) 47.23m.

Hammer throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 61.19m): Nandni (Uttar Pradesh) 58.78m, Anushka Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) 58.02m, Gunjan Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 50.52m.

Triple jump: (Asian Jr Q Mark 12.67m): Sadhana Ravi (Tamil Nadu) 12.97m (MR), Jasleen Kaur (Punjab) 12.72m, Shashi (Haryana) 12.12m.

High jump (Asian Jr Q Mark 1.74m): Pooja (Haryana) 1.80m, Juin Mantusa (West Bengal) 1.69m, Solanki Ramila Bhima (Gujarat) 1.63m.

Heptathlon (Asian Jr Q Mark 5432 points): Jaskiran Kaur (Uttarakhand) 4367 points, Alfaz Kaur Grewal (Punjab) 4194 points, Kushi (NOCE Patiala) 4157 points

Source: IANS

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London, April 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kenya's Sabastian Sawe clocked a winning time of one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds in the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. The 31-year-old broke the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Runner-up Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia also shattered the two-hour barrier in 1:59:41, while Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo took bronze in 2:00:28. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own women 's-only world record in 2:15:41, beating the record of 2:15:50 she set last year in London. Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei finished second and third, respectively.

From the outset, the race was set up for something special. The lead group – featuring Sawe, Kejelcha, three-time world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, 2022 London Marathon winner Amos Kipruto, and Deresa Geleta – moved through the early miles at a controlled but ambitious pace, hitting 5km in 14:14 (2:00:03 pace).

They remained together through 10km (28:34) and 15km (43:10) before reaching halfway in 1:00:29.

The lead sextet continued to run together for the next 10 kilometres, but by 30km (1:26:03), they had begun to string out, the sustained pace starting to take its toll.

The decisive phase came between 30km and 35km. A 13:54 5km split saw Sawe and Kejelcha edge clear, dropping Kiplimo, who remained in third some 21 seconds adrift. The leading duo then accelerated again, covering the next 5km in 13:42 as the likelihood of a sub-two-hour finish increased with each step.

Defending champion Sawe made his move with one mile remaining, finally breaking clear of Kejelcha and pressing on alone. He crossed the line in 1:59:30, taking 65 seconds off the previous world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 and becoming the first athlete to run a legal sub-two-hour marathon, surpassing Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59:41 exhibition performance from 2019.

Kejelcha followed in an Ethiopian record of 1:59:41, the second-fastest performance in history and the quickest ever marathon debut, while Kiplimo secured third place in a Ugandan record of 2:00:28, also inside the previous world record.

Further back, Amos Kipruto finished fourth in 2:01:39, with Tola (2:02:59) and Geleta (2:03:23) completing a remarkable top six. The women’s race also delivered a performance of historic significance, led by defending champion Tigst Assefa.

A lead quartet of Assefa, two-time Boston and New York champion Hellen Obiri, 2021 London Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei, and Catherine Reline Amanang’ole set the early tempo, passing 5km in 15:39 (2:12:02 pace) and 10km in 31:03, already opening a significant gap on the chasers.

Amanang’ole began to drop back before 15km (46:39), leaving a leading trio of Assefa, Obiri, and Jepkosgei. They reached halfway in 1:06:12 (2:12:24 pace), half a minute quicker than Assefa’s record-breaking run the previous year.

The trio remained together through much of the second half, extending their advantage over the rest of the field. Their pace dropped, and a sub-2:15 finish slipped out of reach, but they remained on course to improve Assefa’s women-only world record.

In the closing stages, Assefa gradually edged clear to secure victory in 2:15:41, taking nine seconds off her own global mark. Behind her, Obiri – making her London debut – finished second in a PB of 2:15:53, with Jepkosgei close behind in 2:15:55, marking the first time three women have finished inside 2:16 in the same race.

Source: IANS

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Tumkur, April 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Three national junior records highlighted the second day of the 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition at Tumkur’s Mahatma Gandhi Stadium in Karnataka on Saturday.

On a day when several athletes achieved new heights, Army’s Asian junior silver medalist Nitin Gupta set a new benchmark in men’s U20 5,000m race walk.

Uttar Pradesh long jumper Shahnavaz Khan also entered his names in record books.

Kerala’s talented sprinter Mohammed Ashfaq hogged the limelight by breaking national junior and meet records in men’s 400m.

Nitin Gupta became the first Indian race walker to break the 19 minutes barrier in junior men’s 5,000m race walk. On his way to gold, he clocked 18:54.37, lowering his own national record of 19:24.48 set last year in Patna. His Saturday’s performance was also better than the Asian U20 Athletics Championships.

Ranjana Yadav of Madhya Pradesh also improved the national record in the women’s 5,000m race walk. Her gold-winning time was 23:22.12. The previous record of 23:43.58 was set by Manisha last year in Bhubaneswar.

Away from distance events, the men’s 400m track race was the most exciting event on day-two of the competition. Of the eight finalists, six crossed the finish line under the Asian junior qualification mark 47.53 seconds.

But it was Kerala’s talented sprinter Mohammed Ashfaq who hogged the limelight by breaking national junior and meet records. His winning time of 46.05 seconds was better than Amoj Jacob’s junior national time of 46.26 secs set in 2017. The previous junior meet record was 46.58 secs set last year by Astik Pradhan P.

The field was strong in the women's 400m. Seven of the eight finalists bettered the Asian junior qualification mark of 55.99 seconds. Neeru Pathak of NCOE Trivandrum won gold with a time of 54.31 seconds.

Tamil Nadu’s pole vaulter Kavinraja S, the gold winner, also improved his national mark to 5.12m. His previous best of 5.11m was set last year.

At the end of the day, Shahnavaz Khan recorded a massive jump of 8.23m, improving his own meet record of 7.90m and the national junior record of 8.20m set by Murali Sreeshankar in 2018. His gold winning jump was achieved on his fourth attempt.

Day-two: Results:

Men: 400m (Asian Jr Q Time 47.53 seconds): Mohammed Ashfaq (Kerala) 46.05 (NR), Piyush Raj (Bihar) 46.62 secs, Ranjith Kumar S (Tamil Nadu) 46.90 secs.

1500m (Asian Jr Q Time 3:51.76): Vansh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 3:52.29 secs, Hitesh (Haryana) 3:53.76 secs, Rohit Sagar (Uttar Pradesh) 3:53.91 secs.

110mh (Asian Jr Q Time 13.74 seconds): Kiran K (Kerala) 13.75 secs, Saif Farooq C (Maharashtra) 13.86 secs, Fasalul Haque (Kerala) 14.05 secs.

Hammer throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 65.97m): Ashuvendra Pratap S (Uttar Pradesh) 67.87m, Aman (Haryana) 67.39m, Kartik (Uttar Pradesh) 65.08m.

Pole vault (Asian Jr Q Mark 5.10m): Kavinraja S (Tamil Nadu) 5.12 (NR), Ashish Kumar Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 4.70m, R Vishal (Tamil Nadu) 4.60m.

Shot put (Asian Jr Q Mark 19.02m): Sai Kiran A (NCOE Patiala) 18.65m, Akhand Pratap Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 17.81m, Ommkar Prasad Nand (Odisha) 17.52m.

5,000m race walk (Asian Jr Q Time 19:53.57): Nitin Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) 18:54.37 (NR), Tushar Panwar (Uttarakhand) 19:48.77, Himanshu Panwar (Uttarakhand) 19:56.74.

Decathlon (Asian Jr Q 6274 points): Upkar (Rajasthan) 7039 points, Jakhar Rahul, (Gujarat) 6939 points, Abhay Singh (BSF) 6931 points.

Women:

400m (Asian Jr Q Time 55.99 seconds): Neeru Pathak (NCOE Trivandrum) 54.31 seconds, Tahura Khatun (ONGC) 54.39 secs, Bhoomika Nehate (Maharashtra) 54.68 secs.

1500m (Asian Jr Q Time 4:30.58): Radha Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 4:32.64 seconds, Snehal Kharat (Maharashtra) 4:36.71 secs, Jhanhavi Dnyaneshwar (Maharashtra) 4:38.39 secs

100mh (Asian Jr Q Time 13.66 seconds): Yamini Karthikeyan (Tamil Nadu) 13.79 seconds, Bhavana G (Tamil Nadu) 14.07 secs, Nupura Holla (Karnataka) 14.22 secs.

Shot put (Asian Jr Q Mark 15.13m): Anupriya VS (Kerala) 14.35m, Pooja Kumari (NCOE Patiala) 13.80m, Madhumitha V (Tamil Nadu) 13.38m.

Long jump: Munmun Chetia (Assam) 6.03m, Sadhana Ravi (Tamil Nadu) 5.74m, Shreshta Prasad (Maharashtra) 5.58m.

5,000m race walk (Asian Jr Q Time 22:41.50): Ranjana Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 23:22.12 (NR), Yogita (Haryana) 23:27.32, Manisha (Rajasthan) 23:43.94.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, April 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) A strong line-up of Indian Elite athletes will take to the start line on Sunday for the 18th edition of the World 10K Bengaluru.

With a total prize pool of USD 210,000, the Indian men’s winner is set to take home INR 3,00,000, while the Indian women’s winner will receive INR 2,75,000.

Additionally, a bonus of INR 1,00,000 is on offer for athletes who break the existing event records at the World Athletics Gold Label Race.

Defending champion Abhishek Pal returns after clocking 29:12 last year to set the Indian men’s event record and will look to build on that performance.

“Bengaluru has always been special for me. I’ve run multiple 10Ks here and last year I was able to break the course record, which gives me a lot of confidence coming back. This race is also a great way to assess where I stand at the start of the season. It tells you about your speed, endurance and overall condition, and helps shape the rest of the year. I’m hoping to build on that rhythm and deliver another strong performance,” Abhishek said.

Joining him is Kartik Karkera, who comes into the race on the back of a breakthrough stretch that includes victories at the National Marathon Championship, and the Tata Mumbai Marathon on debut.

“I’m coming into Bengaluru with good momentum, but this phase is about building towards bigger goals like the Asian Games. Running a 10K is crucial, it sharpens speed while maintaining endurance, both essential for the marathon. Events like this give Indian athletes exposure to international competition, and that experience is invaluable. It pushes us to believe we can compete at the highest level. A fast race here will be important to gauge where I stand,” he said.

In the women’s field, Sanjivani Jadhav, one of the most consistent names in Indian road running and a back-to-back Indian Elite winner in Bengaluru, will have the opportunity to secure a historic hat-trick.

“My training has remained consistent, even after stepping up to the marathon earlier this year. The focus now is back on the 5K and 10K as I build towards the Asian Games. For this race, it’s about both defending my title and improving my timing. Races like Bengaluru are important—they fit well into my preparation and help me stay competitive at the highest level. I’m confident the conditions here will help me push for a strong result,” Sanjivani said.

Over 36,000 participants are set to take part in the event, once again energising the city and setting a new record.

Extending their support, esteemed guests including Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Home Minister and President of the Karnataka Athletics Association, Dr. G Parameshwara and International Event Ambassador Blanka Vlašić will flag off the race.

Embracing the spirit of the event, Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah will also lace up and join the runners on Sunday, alongside Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and Tejasvi Surya, Brig. Ranjeet Alva, SM, Dy. GOC, Karnataka & Kerala Sub-Area, and Giandomenico Milano, Consul General of Italy.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) India’s emerging long-distance runner Sawan Barwal shared his thoughts on his groundbreaking marathon debut, describing it as a milestone of personal and national pride after he set a new record at the 2026 Rotterdam Marathon.

Hailing from the hills of Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh, Barwal clocked 2:11:58 in his first full marathon, breaking a 48-year-old national record set by Shivnath Singh in 1978. The achievement marked a major milestone for Indian athletics, ending one of its longest-standing records.

Recalling the moment he crossed the finish line, Barwal admitted that the magnitude of his feat did not immediately sink in. “When I crossed the finish line at the Rotterdam Marathon, I honestly wasn’t thinking about the record at all. The race had taken everything out of me, especially in the final stretch, so my only focus was to finish,” Barwal told Olympics.com.

He added that the realisation came only moments later. “It was only after a few moments that I realised I had broken Shivnath Singh’s record. That’s when it really hit me - this was something that had stood for 48 years. It felt special, not just personally but for Indian athletics as a whole.

Barwal’s debut marathon was far from straightforward, with challenging weather conditions testing his endurance, particularly towards the end. “The last couple of kilometres were the toughest part of the race. The cold and wind made it very difficult, especially after I poured water on myself to stay cool. My body started reacting badly, and I did feel dizzy and lost balance a couple of times.”

Despite the physical toll, the 27-year-old emphasised the role of mental strength in pushing through adversity. “But at that point, it becomes more of a mental battle than a physical one. I just kept telling myself that I had come too far to stop. Finishing the race became the only goal, and that mindset helped me push through.”

Barwal’s journey to the marathon has been shaped by years of competing across distances, from middle-distance track events to longer road races. Speaking about the transition, he said, “It’s not easy at all. The 1500m and even 5000m require speed and explosive strength, while the marathon is all about patience, rhythm, and endurance.”

He further highlighted the shift in both physical preparation and mindset. “The biggest challenge is changing your mindset - you go from thinking in minutes to thinking in hours. Physically, too, the training is very different. Building endurance while maintaining some level of speed is the toughest balance to achieve, and that’s something I’ve worked on over the years.”

The move to the marathon, he revealed, was a gradual and natural progression rather than a record-driven decision. “The decision came gradually. After competing in track events and longer road races, I felt my strength was more suited to endurance. Over time, with guidance from coaches and my performances in longer distances, the marathon became a natural progression.”

He added, “The record wasn’t really on my mind when I made that decision. The focus was more on performing well and improving step by step.”

Looking ahead, Barwal has set his sights firmly on the 2028 Summer Olympics, with the marathon expected to be his primary focus. “Yes, the marathon will definitely be a major focus going forward, especially with the LA 2028 Olympics in mind. Having started with a good performance, I want to build consistency in this event.”

He also outlined a structured approach to his future goals. “In the short term, I want to recover well and improve my timing further. In the mid term, my focus is on performing strongly at major events like the Asian Games and other international races. Long term, the goal is to represent India at the Olympics and aim for a strong finish there.”

For Barwal, breaking a decades-old record is just the beginning. “This record is just a starting point - I know there’s a lot more to achieve.”

Reflecting on why the previous national mark had endured for nearly five decades, he pointed to changes in the sporting ecosystem. “I think there are many reasons. Earlier, marathon running in India didn’t have the same level of exposure, scientific training, or international competition opportunities that we have now. The record by Shivnath Singh was ahead of its time, and it set a very high benchmark.”

He signed off on an optimistic note for the future of Indian distance running. “Today, with better facilities, coaching, and exposure, athletes are able to push those limits further. I’m happy that I could finally break it, and hopefully, it motivates more runners to go even faster in the future.”

Source: IANS

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Tumkur, April 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) Abhay Singh and Nipam claimed the titles as they emerged as the fastest male and female athletes on Day One of the 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition at the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium in Tumkur, Karnataka, on Friday.

Abhay Singh, representing Reliance Foundation, raced to victory in the men’s 100m dash. His winning time of 10.41 seconds was better than the Asian junior qualification time of 10.46 seconds and the meet record of 10.47 seconds set by Gurindervir Singh in 2018.

Nipam of Uttar Pradesh was also impressive in the women’s 100m. She won gold with comfortable ease. Her winning time of 11.53 seconds was better than the previous junior national record of 11.54 secs set by Abhinaya Rajarajan last year in Kochi. On her way to gold, Nipam also improved the meet record of 11.63 secs in the name of Dutee Chand set in 2014.

The Uttar Pradesh sprinter had clocked 11.60 seconds in the semis and has also achieved the Asian junior qualification time in women’s 100m of 11.79 secs. She has a bright prospect of competing in the World Athletics U20 in Eugene, USA.

Punjab’s rising discus thrower, Amanat Kamboj, also achieved the Asian U20 qualification mark. She won gold with a distance of 52.27m to better the qualification mark of 50.13m.

Earlier in the morning session, Muskan of Haryana won the women’s 5,000m gold with a time of 16:42.88 secs, which was better than the Asian junior qualification time of 16:52.54 secs. Sonam Parmar, representing IOCL, won silver (16:47.89) in women’s 5,000m and was the second athlete to better the Asian qualification time in the longer track race.

Winner of the women’s pole vault, B Sowndharya of Tamil Nadu, also equalled the Asian junior qualification mark of 3.60m Kerala’s lanky Mohammed Ashfaq was the fastest runner in the men’s 400m qualification round. His time of 47.39 seconds in the heats was better than the Asian junior qualification time of 47.53 secs.

Results:

Men:

100m (Asian Jr Q Time 10.46 secs): Abhay Singh (Reliance) 10.41 seconds (meet record), Yuvraj Singh Chib (Jammu & Kashmir) 10.52 secs, Anshu Rajak (Uttar Pradesh) 10.52 secs.

5,000m (Asian Jr Q Time 14:09.63 seconds): Dinesh (Uttar Pradesh) 14:36.50 secs, Ravi Yadav (Chandigarh) 14:37.25 secs, Gurpreet Kamboj (Punjab) 14:37.29 secs.

Women:

100m (Asian Jr Q Time 11.79 secs): Nipam (Uttar Pradesh) 11.53 seconds National jr record), Bhavana G (Tamil Nadu) 11.87 secs, Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (Gujarat) 11.88 secs

5,000m (Asian Jr Q Time 16:52.54 secs): Muskan (Haryana) 16:42.88 secs, Sonam Parmar (IOCL) 16:47.89, Sakshi Bhandari (Maharashtra) 17:04. 93.

Discus throw (Asian Jr Q Mark 50.13m): Amanat Kamboj (Punjab) 52.27m, Riddhi (Haryana) 48.92m, Supriya Attri (NCOE Patiala) 48.07m.

Pole vault (Asian Jr Q Mark 3.60m): B Sowndharya (Tamil Nadu) 3.60m, Chuki Birda (Rajasthan) 3.40m, Shruti Rathaur (Madhya Pradesh) 3.40m.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Indian squad for the World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled for August 5 to 9 in Eugene, USA, will be finalised based on performances at three different domestic competitions, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced as it revealed the selection criteria for the big event on Friday.

Source: IANS

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Tumkur (Karnataka), April 23 (SocialNews.XYZ) Overall 1059 competitors, including 709 male track and field athletes, will be seen in action during the three-day National Junior (U20) Athletics Competition, starting Friday at Mahatma Gandhi Stadium in Tumkur, Karnataka.

The competition will also act as a qualifying event for next month’s Asian U20 Athletics Championships to be held in Hong Kong.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has already announced the qualification standards for the Asian U20 meet. The three-day age group competition in Karnataka will see several promising junior athletes achieve their goal to wear the Indian jersey.

The first medal event on Friday will be 5,000m track races in both men's and women’s sections.

The opening day will also witness Jharkhand’s promising sprinter Parth Singh testing his prowess against his rivals, including Partik Maharana of Odisha. Jharkhand’s sprinter had a good 2025 season and will be looking ahead on Friday to dominate the men’s 100m dash.

The Karnataka competition will be a good platform for Odisha’s international 400m runner Bapi Hansda, who is making a comeback after a long hiatus due to an injury sustained during the 2025 National Games in Uttarakhand.

Kerala’s rising quarter-miler Mohammed Ashfaq has also confirmed his entry. Ashfaq will also be looking forward to cementing his place in the national team for the Asian U20 Athletics meet in Hong Kong.

As many as 79 athletes are in the fray in the men’s 100m. Going by the entries, 93 competitors will contest the top three places in the men’s 200m. The quarter-mile will see 89 male athletes vying for top honours.

The opening day will also decide the fastest female athlete. The women’s 100m dash has attracted 37 entries.

Medals will also be decided in women’s pole vault and discus throw on day one.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday accepted the Athletics Integrity Unit's (AIU) decision to place India in Category A under Rule 15 of World Athletics' Anti-Doping Rules. The federation reaffirmed its commitment to promoting clean sport in the country.

In an official statement, AFI pointed out that doping is a serious threat to the growth and credibility of athletics in India. It emphasised its ongoing efforts to address this issue in partnership with anti-doping authorities. The federation stated that it has been actively collaborating with domestic and international organisations to improve education, testing methods, and support investigations that focus on identifying and eliminating doping practices.

"AFI has consistently maintained that doping undermines the growth of athletics in India. The federation has actively collaborated with anti-doping bodies, both domestic and international, to strengthen education, enhance testing, and support intelligence-led investigations," AFI said in a statement.

AFI also noted that the AIU has acknowledged its proactive approach to implementing effective anti-doping reforms. The federation sees this as a positive sign despite facing challenges. AFI reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the AIU and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to fight doping at all levels of the sport.

Taking a strong stance on accountability, the federation highlighted its call for stricter legal measures, including criminal penalties for those involved in doping, especially at the grassroots level. AFI stressed that these measures are essential to discourage coaches and even parents from taking advantage of young athletes in their pursuit of success.

"Notably, the AIU has recognised AFI’s push for meaningful anti-doping reforms in India. AFI remains committed to working closely with the AIU and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to combat doping at every level. AFI has also strongly advocated for the criminalisation of those responsible for doping—particularly at the grassroots level—to deter coaches and parents from exploiting young athletes," the federation added.

Looking forward, AFI expressed confidence that continued collaboration with the AIU, NADA, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will help India overcome current challenges and eventually be removed from Category A in the near future.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, April 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two-time Paralympic Games medallist Sumit Antil is among the country's top javelin throwers who have alleged harassment and use of abusive language by javelin coach Naval Singh and have complained to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), a news report claimed on Friday. Antil claimed he has received support from Tokyo Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.

According to the report, the country's top athletes have made a written complaint to SAI, alleging mental harassment and repetitive use of abusive language by javelin coach Naval Singh, who trains Sachin Yadav.

The written complaint was submitted to SAI on April 10, after the matter was raised with officials from SAI and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), The Bridge said in a report on Friday.

"I have always been a clean athlete, and I don’t want to be part of any controversy. I tried to explain to him (coach Naval Singh) multiple times, but this is not the first time. It has gone beyond my patience level," the report quoted Sumit Antil as saying.

"He gets drunk and sends random recordings abusing us and dragging our families into it. He tends to behave this way when competitions approach,” he added.

The report claimed that the emails written by the elite athletes to SAI included audio recordings in which Singh is allegedly heard verbally abusing Neeraj, Sumit, Navdeep, and Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem.

Antil was the first to raise the issue with SAI. He said he approached SAI Deputy Director Arunlal and the CEO of TOPS (Nash Johal) about the coach's behaviour. Antil claimed that the SAI officials sat the two parties down for a compromise but the Paralympic Games gold medallist rejected the approach.

Antil, who initiated the complaint, said that he had experienced many incidents of verbal abuse, humiliation, and mental harassment by the said coach and eventually decided to take action.

"The language used has been extremely degrading, not only towards athletes but also towards our families, including deeply disrespectful remarks about our mothers and even about esteemed athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Navdeep Singh, and Sandeep Chaudhary," he added.

The report said Antil claims to have the backing of two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra. "I stand in full agreement with my fellow athletes and strongly demand strict action in this matter," Chopra wrote in his email.

“I write this as an athlete who has had the honor of representing India at both national and international levels, and who firmly believes that sport must uphold dignity, discipline, and respect. The statements made by coach Naval Singh are not just inappropriate; they are disgraceful," Chopra added.

Antil alleged that no action has been taken against coach Naval Singh despite multiple complaints.

Source: IANS

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Kampala (Uganda), April 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) Uganda Athletics has named its final squad for the 2026 World Athletics Relays, set to take place in Gaborone, Botswana. Uganda Athletics Federation president Dominic Otuchet confirmed to Xinhua on Tuesday that a team of four athletes will represent the country at the competition.

Botswana will host the event at the Botswana National Stadium from May 2-3. This will be the eighth edition of the World Athletics Relays and the first time the event is staged on African soil. "We were cleared by the world body because of our ranking, and we can only manage to send four runners and no reserves because of a lack of finances," added Otuchet.

Despite the limited squad size, Otuchet emphasised that preparations are already underway. "I want to commend the athletes and coaches for their tireless commitment," he added.

Uganda's team comprises Haron Adoli, Kenneth Omuka, Shida Leni, and Maureen Banura, reports Xinhua.

The team is expected to face strong competition from established relay powerhouses, including South Africa, the United States, Canada, Botswana, Britain, Jamaica, Spain, and Kenya.

The 2026 World Athletics Relays will be held at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana, on May 2 and 3. It will be the 8th edition of the World Athletics Relays and the first time the event will be held in Botswana, or in Africa.

The World Athletics Relays in Gaborone will mark Botswana’s first time hosting a World Athletics Series event. The capital city held a Continental Tour Gold meeting in 2023 and will also host the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 12, 2024.

The 2026 World Athletics Relays will serve as a qualifying event for the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest and the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing. In this context, the top six teams in the Mixed 4×100 metres relay and 4×400 metres relay will secure direct entry to Budapest, while the top 12 teams in each event will qualify for Beijing.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, April 13 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Maharashtra government on Monday released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for protection of outdoor informal workers in urban heat risk districts of the state.

As per the advisory released by the state disaster management minister Girish Mahajan, rescheduling of outdoor work hours had been suggested to cooler periods from 6 A.M. to 11 A.M. and 4 P.M. to 8 P.M. during heat alerts, enforcement of mandatory rest breaks from 12 to 4 P.M. during orange and red alerts, mandating schedule shifts especially in construction, industrial and vending sectors.

Further, it will be necessary to issue official district or urban local body circulars mandating schedule shifts, especially in construction, industrial and vending sectors.

Workspace safety for women will be ensured through lighting, transport and protective facilities. The SOP was necessitated as Maharashtra ranks among India’s top 10 most heat vulnerable states and Union Territories.

According to the State Heat Action Plan, 15 districts across Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh regions that have been identified as highly vulnerable to extremes heat are Latur, Amravati, Yavatmal, Washim, Akola, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gondia, Bhandara, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule and Nanded.

The SOP applies to all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats operating in high risk urban areas.

According to the SOPs, installation of water booths at major informal work locations including, markets, crossings, traffic junctions, transit hubs and vending areas will be necessary to ensure water access with clear signage and regular refilling.

The distribution of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) and electrolyte sachets through primary health Center’s, ward offices and NGOs will have to be done.

The parks and gardens need to remain open and accessible during afternoon hours, erection of temporary shade at vending areas, labour chowks, worker zones and traffic junctions will be done.

As far as medical preparedness and surveillance are concerned, the primary health centres and urban health centres will have to be stocked with ORS, IV fluids and heat illness treatment kits; there is a need to train ASHAs and ward health workers in heat-related illness and pre-position 108 ambulances in high vulnerability zones and monitor response time during high risk days.

The SOP mandates promotion of shaded public spaces, tree plantation, reflective surfaces and misting systems in urban planning and design and upgradation of dense work zones with permanent shade, cool roofs and water access and incentivising employers and market associations to install cooling infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the state government will set up a centre for training and research related to disaster management at Nagpur costing Rs 184 crore. The centre will be mandated to provide training and conduct research related to extreme heat conditions and sustainable cooling.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) The elevation of General Min Aung Hlaing, former chief of the Myanmar junta, as the country’s new President has ignited a debate over the country’s shifting priorities. Political watchers are discussing at length whether this makes a transition towards a ‘civilian regime’ or amounts to maintaining the status quo of military junta rule.

One may argue over the General’s credentials in the Myanmar Army and the urgent need for reforms in the country’s governance, but the underlying facts signify only the hardening of the junta rule.

A pro-military website in the capital described the change of guard as “return to civilian-led democracy”, adding fuel to the debate, but the critics have dug out uncomforting precedents which record incidents of suppression and repression under General Min Aung Hlaing’s watch.

The elections were held in three phases in December 2025 and January 2026, but this did more to formalise the military rule, reports a leading portal, Global Asia Forum.

“The military, led by Min Aung Hlaing, seized power in a coup in February 2021, dissolved the democratically elected parliament, arrested MPs and state leaders including President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and launched a bloody crackdown against people who took to the streets to oppose the takeover,” the news portal points out.

Besides this, all democratic parties were dissolved, and a quarter of the seats in both the Upper and the Lower House were reserved for the military.

According to analysts, more than 80 per cent of the Union Ministers are purportedly either active-duty officers or retired military personnel.

The portal further noted that the new President purged potential rivals and surrounded himself with loyalists.

His deputy as military chief before becoming President, General Soe Win, has been replaced by General Ye Win Oo, who served as the Chief of Military Security Affairs, the military’s internal security apparatus, and is widely known as Min Aung Hlaing’s “eyes and ears.”

According to Myanmar analyst Ye Myo Hein, “Soe Win, being the last remaining senior figure from earlier generations (of army officers), may be viewed as too strong and institutionally grounded and could challenge Min Aung Hlaing’s continued influence and personal security. By contrast, the selection of Ye Win Oo appears to reflect a preference for loyal dependency and his own safety.”

According to a biography compiled by the British Broadcasting Corporation, “Min Aung Hlaing rose through the ranks and in August 2010 he became joint chief of staff.” Many argued that his loyalty to then-junta chief Senior General Than Shwe eventually led him to the top.

Moreover, Min Aung Hlaing’s ascent to Myanmar’s presidency comes at a time when the country is going through a severe economic crisis, aggravated by war in the Middle East as well as years of mismanagement.

Whether Min Aung Hlaing survives all those challenges or maintains the lead over his predecessors, only time will tell.

Source: IANS

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Mumbai, April 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Young distance runner Sawan Barwal shattered the longest-standing record in Indian athletics on his marathon debut, clocking a time of 2:11:58 at the NN Marathon Rotterdam, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sunday.

The 28-year-old athlete, who is supported by the Reliance Foundation, improved on the long-standing National Record of 2:12:00 set by the legendary Shivnath Singh on May 28, 1978, in Jalandhar.

For Barwal, this was his marathon debut, marking an important milestone in his career. He has now achieved the AFI qualification standard of 2:15:00 for the 2026 Asian Games.

Sawan Barwal ran a steady pace throughout the gruelling marathon distance of 42.195km. But windy conditions in the last 5km of the race took their toll on the Indian runner. “It was pretty cold and windy. I made a mistake of pouring water on my head at the water station,” the 28-year-old army runner said from Rotterdam. “I was running at a comfortable pace until the 37 km mark. But the last 2km were more challenging as I had to just plod to cross the finish line.”

Sawan Barwal is the fastest of the four athletes who have bettered the Asian Games marathon qualification time of 2:15:04 this year. Kartik Karkera, Gopi T and Man Singh are the other three runners.

Exhausted after his record-breaking efforts, the army runner fell down crossing the finish line. He was taken for medical assistance. “I’ve recovered and am feeling better,” he added.

Experienced marathon runner and Asian champion, Gopi T, was the second Indian runner in the fray. Gopi finished 23rd with a time of 2:13:16. Gopi had come close to breaking the national record last year at the Valencia Marathon in December, but the 37-year-old Army runner had clocked 2:12:23 to narrowly miss the record.

Participation in this marathon was aligned with Project 2:09, Reliance Foundation’s high-performance initiative within the Endurance Program, aimed at enabling Indian athletes to break the 2:10 marathon barrier through science-led training, structured international exposure, and race-specific execution strategies, the Reliance Foundation informed in a release on Sunday.

The Rotterdam Marathon serves as a key benchmark competition within the long-term pathway, supporting the broader objective of elevating India’s standards in global marathon running. Currently, Sawan Barwal, Gopi Thonakal, and Man Singh are part of this project, with Gopi, Sawan, and Man having already achieved their personal best performances under the initiative.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Star sprinter Hima Das has given credit to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for putting in place policies that have helped develop the sport at the grassroots level, making it possible for athletes from small cities and towns to dream of making it big in athletics and do well in the 2036 Olympic Games.

Hima, who won two gold and one silver medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, participated in the third leg of the Indian Athletics Series at the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Hima, who hails from Assam, said that the AFI has tied up with the central government to develop athletics at the grassroots level.

"All credit goes to the Athletics Federation of India because the Athletics Federation of India has improved a lot at the grassroots level by tying up with the government. When I was warming up here, everyone came and talked to me. I said that I will also run with you, so I am also learning with them. India will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and also hoping to host the Olympics in 2036," Hima Das told IANS in New Delhi on Saturday.

"Some people say that I have come from this village. Same like me, I also belong to a small town. So, I know what level I have come from. So, I hope that in the next 10-12 years, our athletics will develop in India. So, in the 2036 Olympics, which India is planning to host in Ahmedabad, by that time, we will do very well in athletics. My aim is the same as every athlete, my aim is LA 2028," said Hima, who won gold in women's 4x400m relay and the 4x400m Mixed Relay.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, top Indian performers came up with a dominant performance during the one-day third leg of the Indian Athletics Series at New Delhi’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

It was a joyful day for athletics fans as Asian championships bronze medallist Animesh Kujur shifted gears to clinch the men's 100m title with a time of 10.28 seconds. Two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor recorded a 21.03m throw, a season best, to win the men's shot put title at the throwing arena. While promising high jumper Pooja raised the bar to win gold with a height of 1.90m, a personal best.

The excitement reached its zenith in the evening session as the top three male javelin throwers crossed the 80m barrier in a battle to gain supremacy.

But it was Rohit Yadav’s day as he won top position with an impressive throw of 82.17m. World Championships finalist Sachin Yadav settled for second place (81.95m). And, Yashvir Singh was third (81.61m).

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rohit Yadav overcame a competitive field to win a gold medal in the men's javelin throw event as top Indian performers came up with a dominant performance during the one-day third leg of the Indian Athletics Series at New Delhi’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday.

It was a joyful day for athletics fans as Asian championships bronze medallist Animesh Kujur shifted gears to clinch the men's 100m title with a time of 10.28 seconds. Two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor recorded a 21.03m throw, a season best, to win the men's shot put title at the throwing arena. While promising high jumper Pooja raised the bar to win gold with a height of 1.90m, a personal best.

The excitement reached its zenith in the evening session as the top three male javelin throwers crossed the 80m barrier in a battle to gain supremacy.

But it was Rohit Yadav’s day as he won top position with an impressive throw of 82.17m. World Championships finalist Sachin Yadav settled for second place (81.95m). And, Yashvir Singh was third (81.61m).

Results:

100m: Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 10.28 secs, Tamil Arasu S (Railway) 10.28 secs, Gurindervir Singh (Reliance) 10.40 secs.

200m: Animesh Kujur (Odisha) 20.74 seconds, Vishal TK (NCOE Trivandrum) 21.01 seconds, Dharamveer Choudhary (Rajasthan) 21.03 secs.

400m: Vishal TK (NCOE Trivandrum) 45.44 secs, Vikrant Panchal (Haryana) 45.88 secs, Dharamveer Choudhary (Rajasthan) 45.93 secs.

U20: 200m: Abhishek Singh (Rajasthan) 21.69 seconds, Jinoy Jayan (NCOE Trivandrum) 21.71 secs, Harsh Sharma (Delhi) 21.81 secs.

U20: 400m: Astik Pradhan (Odisha) 46.61 secs, Jashanpreet Singh (NCOE Patiala) 47.81 secs, Yashwant Singh (Rajasthan) 47.90 secs.

800m: Anu Kumar (Uttarakhand) 1:49.87 secs, Prathamesh Amarish (Maharashtra) 1:49.90 secs, Shakeel (Rajasthan) 1:50.33 secs.

10,000m: Shailesh Kushwaha (Karnataka) 30:01.08 secs, Kartik Karkera (Maharashtra) 30:08.94 secs, Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 30:09.62 secs.

110mh: Muhammed Lazan (JSW) 14.23 secs, Harmanjeet Singh (Delhi) 14.45 secs, Shubham Rawat (Delhi) 14.56 secs.

U20: 110mh: Kiran K (Kerala) 13.80 secs, Aryan (Haryana) 14.20 secs, Subhash Saini (Rajasthan) 14.34 secs.

Men: 400mh: Santosh Kumar T (Tamil Nadu) 51.19 seconds, Subhas Das (JSW) 52.14 seconds, Karana Bag (NCOE Patiala) 52.50 seconds.

Long jump: Mohd Atta Sazid (Haryana) 7.86m, Rajat (Uttar Pradesh) 7.41m, Mandeep Singh (NOCE Patiala) 7.39m.

Discus throw: Abhimanyu (JSW) 56.75m, Kirpal Singh (ONGC) 56.25m, Bharatpreet Singh (Reliance) 54.86m.

Shot put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Punjab) 21.03m, Karanveer Singh (NCOE Patiala) 19.30m, Anurag Singh Kaler (Railway) 18.03m.

Javelin throw: Rohit Yadav (Railway) 82.17m, Sachin Yadav (All India Police) 81.95m, Yashvir Singh (Rajasthan) 81.61m

Women: 100m: Nithya Gandhe (NCOE Trivandrum) 11.59 secs, Sneha SS (Karnataka) 11.63 secs, Tamanna (Haryana) 11.64 secs

200m: Priyanka Sikarwar (All India Police) 23.91 seconds, Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) 24.12 secs, Sonia (JSW) 24.31 secs.

U20: 200m: Bhoomika Nehate (Maharashtra) 24.67 secs, Anshika (Chandigarh) 25.25 secs, Dhesikha V (NCOE Trivandrum) 25.60 secs.

400m: Rashdeep Kaur (Punjab) 53.10 secs, Aishwarya Mishra (Maharashtra) 53.30 secs, Priya (JSW) 54.24 secs.

U20: 400m: Bhumi Singh (Delhi) 57.27 secs, Riya Bisht (Delhi) 57.57 secs, Supreet Kaur (Punjab) 58.12 secs.

800m: Astha Mallick (Delhi) 2:11.79 secs, Preeti Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) 2:11.97 secs, Kritika (Haryana) 2:12.69 secs.

10,000m: Babli Verma (Uttar Pradesh) 35:08.20 secs, Ujala (All India Police) 35:09.50 secs, Aarti P (Maharashtra) 35:09.70 secs.

100m: Anjali C (JSW) 13.58 secs, Pranjali Dilip Patil (JSW) 13.61 secs, Namayi Ruchitha (Anju Booby Sports Academy) 14.00 secs.

400m: Gudiya (Uttar Pradesh) 59.23 secs, Lovely Rajput (All India Police) 1:01.99 secs, Himanshi (Delhi) 1:02.38 secs.

Discus throw: Seema (NCOE Patiala) 59.55m, Sanya Yadav (Haryana) 52.72m, Bhavana Yadav (Delhi) 51.67m.

Hammer throw: Tanya Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh) 61.29m, Manpreet Kaur (CISF) 59.50m, Divya Shandilya (Odisha) 55.53m.

Shot put: Shiksha (Reliance) 16.50m, Manpreet Kaur (Haryana) 16.42m, Krishna Jayasankar (Reliance) 16.28m.

Javelin throw: Shilpa Rani (Haryana) 54.29m, Rashmi K (Andhra Pradesh) 54.26m, Jyoti (JSW) 52.49m.

U20: Javelin throw: Poonam (JSW) 49.35m, Bhavya Pilania (JSW) 47.00m, Navneet Kaur (Punjab) 42.87m.

High jump: Pooja (Haryana) 1.90m, Khyati Mathur (Uttar Pradesh) 1.80m, Reet Rathor (Uttar Pradesh) 1.78m.

Triple jump: Niharika Vashisht (Punjab) 13.41m, Nidhi (All India Police) 12.65m, Hema (Haryana) 12.63m.

Long jump: Shaili Singh (Uttar Pradesh) 6.24m, Pariksha (Haryana) 6.10m, Mubassina Mohammed (Lakshadweep) 6.05m.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) Two-time Olympian Priyanka Goswami and male race walker Ram Baboo will lead a 12-member Indian team at the World Race Walking Team Championships 2026, scheduled for Sunday in Brasília, Brazil.

Manju Rani, a national record holder in the marathon walk, joins the contingent alongside Servin Sebastian. The Indian lineup also includes Sahil and Akshdeep Singh, who hold national records in the 10km and 20km race walks, respectively.

Priyanka holds the national record in the 10km race walk and won a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Ram Baboo has also set national records in the 35km race walk and the marathon walk.

Organised by World Athletics, the upcoming championship will be the 31st edition of the event and will feature a format change, with more than 250 athletes from 40 countries competing in the newly standardised senior race walking distances.

The new programme replaces the traditional 20km and 35km events with the half-marathon (21.0975km) and the marathon (42.195 km), both making their senior-level debuts at the World Race Walking Team Championships.

The U20 category will include 10km races, but no Indian athletes are participating in these junior events. In senior competitions, teams are limited to five athletes, but only the top three overall finishers count towards the team score.

To qualify for the team result, a country needs at least three finishers to form a scoring team. The team score is calculated as the total of the finishing positions of these three scoring athletes.

If a team does not have three finishers, the athletes will still be recorded in their individual races, but the team will no longer be eligible for contention.

The Indian men’s team, comprising KT Irfan, Surinder Singh, and Babubhai Kesharabhai Panucha, secured a bronze medal in the men’s 20km race at the 2012 championships.

In 2022, Olympians Bhawna Jat, Ravina, and Munita Prajapati secured a bronze medal for India in the women’s 20km race walk team event.

Indian squad at World Race Walking Team Championships 2026:

Men’s marathon race walk: Ram Baboo, Sandeep Kumar

Men’s half-marathon race walk: Hardeep, Sahil, Servin Sebastian, Akshdeep Singh

Women’s marathon race walk: Payal, Priyanka Goswami, Manju Rani

Women’s half-marathon race walk: Mansi Negi, Munita Prajapati, Ravina

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The spotlight will be firmly on World Championships finallist Sachin Yadav, who will be among the top Indian track and field athletes seen in action during the Delhi leg of the one-day Indian Open Series scheduled for April 11 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Based on the number of entries, competition in almost all events is expected to be intense.

In the men’s javelin, the focus will be on Sachin Yadav, who finished a creditable fourth with a distance of 86.27m on his debut at the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships. Yadav, the 2025 Asian Championships silver medallist, was impressive last season. He is hungry and keen to kick-start his 2026 season on a bright note at his home ground.

An exciting duel is expected in the men’s javelin as India’s rising javelin thrower Shivam Lohakare, Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Kumar Jena, and Rohit Yadav—other top athletes in the fray—look forward to testing their preparation before the main domestic competition in May.

Two-time Asian Games champion, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, is also looking to further improve his performance graph on Saturday.

Away from the field events, the star-studded field for the men’s 100m dash will be mouth-watering. National 100m/200m record holder Animesh Kujur is keen to showcase his sprinting prowess ahead of the May 22-25 National Senior Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi. Fresh from winning the 60m indoor title last month in Bhubaneswar, Gurindervir Singh, former 100m national record holder, will be keen to regain his position at the

Other top sprinters in the fray are Tamil Arasu S, Pranav Pramod Gurav, and Harsh Santosh Raut. All the top athletes will be eagerly looking to upset the established sprinters on

In the men’s mile, all eyes will be on national record holder Vishal TK. The Tamil Nadu sprinter clocked an outstanding time of 45.12 seconds, a national record, in Chennai last year in August.

Muhammed Ajmal, one of the key runners of the national 4x400m relay squad, is making a comeback after an injury last season and will be one to watch.

The 16-leg Indian Open Series began on April 4 in Bengaluru, followed by the second leg in Jaipur. Due to the overwhelming response to the Delhi-leg, which is the third of the Indian Open Series, the competition is packed from morning till

The men’s 10,000m track race will be the first medal event of the day, starting at 6 a.m. While the men’s 1500m race will be the last event of the day at 8:10 p.m.

Competitors are categorised into different groups, and all races are finals. Apart from seniors, competition will also be organised in the junior group for both men and women.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Wednesday clarified its decision of mandatory prior approval for athlete sponsorship agreements with the federation, saying this is to safeguard the interests of both athletes and sponsors and that its legal team will be on hand to "advise the athletes against potential pitfalls".

Last week, AFI made it mandatory for athletes to obtain prior approval from the federation before entering into any agreement or contract with a sponsor or third party.

"AFI is aware of the response to its recent decision to make it mandatory for athletes to obtain its approval before agreeing with a third party. This considered decision has come in the wake of some sponsors drawing AFI's attention. We want the athletes to focus on their training and competition rather than get caught up in signing contracts," it said in a statement.

AFI also said that it does not want to come between athletes' way of making money through endorsement deals but will protect the interests of Indian athletes, while also clarifying that while asking for prior approval of contracts and agreements, it does not charge a penny from either the athletes or the sponsors.

"At AFI, we are mindful of athletes' welfare and do not want to come in the way of their making money through endorsement deals. However, we will protect the interests of the athletes and Indian athletics. AFI believes that athletes affect such changes without understanding the implications of terminating the contracts they have signed with sponsors.

"While asking for prior approval of contracts and agreements, AFI is ensuring that its legal team is on hand to advise the athletes against potential pitfalls. AFI makes it clear that, in providing such services to the athletes, it does not charge a penny from either the athletes or the sponsors," it added.

The federation had also advised sponsors to proceed with the execution of any agreement only after confirming with AFI that the athlete has obtained the requisite approval, and AFI will send the confirmation within three days from the date of the request.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indian triple jumper Abdulla Aboobacker has set a clear benchmark for a podium finish at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan; the 17-metre mark. After narrowly missing the podium in the last edition, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist believes that breaching the 17m mark will guarantee a gold or a silver medal in Japan.

At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Chinese jumpers Zhu Yaming (17.13m) and Fang Yaoqing (16.93m) bagged the top two spots on the podium, with India's Praveen Chithravel securing a bronze with a best effort of 16.68m and Aboobacker was placed fourth with 16.62m.

However, last month Aboobacker produced his best jump of 16.83m, defeating national record holder Chithravel to win the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru. It was the eighth instance of a one-two finish between Aboobacker and Chithravel.

"If I cross the 17m mark in the Asian Games 2026, I’ll likely secure the gold or silver. Last time, I finished in fourth place (16.63m), but this time in Japan, I have to perform well no matter what. Last year, gold and silver went to the Chinese athletes," Aboobacker, who has a personal best of 17.19m, told IANS.

The former Asian champion stressed that intense competition within the Indian camp has fuelled India's chances to challenge China’s dominance and secure a top-two finish on the podium in Achi-Nagoya.

"This year, our Indian triple jump team is very strong. Since Indian jumpers are giving such tough competition to each other back home right now, we can definitely perform well and finish top two on the podium at the Asian Games," he said.

"Competing against Praveen (Chithravel) has significantly improved my performance. Beating him has given me a lot of motivation for the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Games. Since I am getting such strong competition even before heading into major events, it will definitely help me perform better there," the 30-year-old jumper added.

At the India Open, Aboobacker winning jump came in his third attempt, and he opted out of his final three jumps, which he called a strategic move to maintain his consistency for the major tournament coming ahead.

"At the India Open, my three jumps were 16.07m, 16.57m, and 16.83m. Since 16.83m is a decent performance, I felt it was better to stop after just three jumps and target my goals in the next competition instead. There was also a headwind at the India Open; if I had pushed harder, I could have touched the 17m mark, but it wasn't worth the risk there.

"Even if I had hit 17.20m or 17.30m, it wouldn't have held much value in that specific setting. What I really wanted was consistency. Having put in so many jumps during the off-season, I need to maintain that form throughout the main season, which is why I decided to call it a day after three jumps," he said.

Aboobacker, who is currently training at Inspire Institute of Sport in Bengaluru, said the facility at IIS has helped him in managing logistics and streamlined his preparation.

"I have learned a lot since coming to IIS (Inspire Institute of Sport). It is only after arriving here that I understood things like nutrition, recovery, etc. My speed, strength, and conditioning—I was able to sort all of that out quickly at IIS. Previously, I would have had to search for a physio or a recovery centre, but at IIS, everything is available in one place," he concluded.

Source: IANS

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New Delhi, April 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former long jumper and Athletics Federation of India senior vice-president Anju Bobby George has welcomed the renewed push for the Women’s Reservation Bill, terming it a significant step towards strengthening women’s representation in policymaking, while also highlighting its potential benefits for the sporting ecosystem.

Her remarks come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament to expedite steps to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies from the 2029 general elections.

Speaking on the development, Anju underlined that the move aligns with long-standing conversations around women’s empowerment and inclusion in leadership roles.

“It's good that women are also getting reservations. We are always talking about ‘Women’s Empowerment', but it is good that even in politics, they are ready to accept women, 33% at least,” Anju Bobby George told IANS.

She also pointed out that greater representation from diverse fields, including sports, could help bridge the gap between policymakers and on-the-ground stakeholders. Emphasising the importance of adequate representation, she noted that a stronger presence of women in legislative bodies would ensure their concerns are heard more effectively.

“If somebody comes from sports to represent us, then it's easy for us to connect with the authorities, right, and they can do something good for the sports also. They are the policymakers. So, if our representation is there in an adequate number, then their voice will also be heard,” she added.

The Centre’s proposal includes exploring mechanisms, such as increasing the total number of seats in Parliament and Assemblies, to accommodate the quota without affecting existing representation, while also addressing concerns about delimitation.

The Women’s Reservation Bill, passed in September 2023, had earlier been linked to the completion of the Census and delimitation exercise. The latest move aims to accelerate its implementation timeline, with the government seeking consensus among political parties.

As the debate gains momentum, Anju’s remarks contribute to the growing chorus of voices from outside politics supporting the legislation as a step toward more inclusive governance.

Source: IANS

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Bengaluru, April 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) Double Olympic medallist and two-time World Champion Blanka Vlasic has been named the International Event Ambassador for World 10K Bengaluru 2026, a World Athletics Gold Label Race scheduled for April 26.

Vlasic is one of the sport's top high jumpers, known for her long and successful career at the elite level. The Croatian athlete secured Olympic silver in Beijing 2008 and bronze in Rio 2016, as well as several World Championship and World Indoor titles. Her personal best of 2.08m, set in 2009, still stands as the Croatian record and is the third-highest women’s high jump ever recorded.

Speaking on her association with the event, Blanka Vlasic said, "Being associated with an event that brings thousands of people together through running is truly inspiring and energising. Running is a sport that keeps us physically active and mentally strong, and it continues to play a vital role in shaping the athletics community.

"My message to every participant is simple – give it your best, prepare well, and embrace the journey. I look forward to seeing everyone in Bengaluru as we come together to celebrate the spirit of #EndendiguBengaluru."

Off the field, Vlasic continues to maintain a strong connection to sports. She is involved with the ‘Champions for Peace’ initiative and serves as vice president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, staying actively engaged in supporting the sporting community and nurturing future athletes.

“We are delighted to welcome Blanka Vlasic as the International Event Ambassador for this year’s World 10K Bengaluru. Her extraordinary achievements, coupled with her continued contribution to the global sporting community, make her an inspiring figure. We look forward to having her celebrate the spirit of running in India and elevate the experience for participants and fans alike,” said Vivek Singh, Joint MD, Procam International, promoters of the race.

The World 10K Bengaluru remains the leading 10K running event globally. It gathers elite athletes and the broader running community, making a significant impact beyond just sport.

Source: IANS

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