India’s athletics push toward the 2026 Asian Games gathered pace on Thursday as a string of performances on Day 2 of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships met the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) qualification standards. The day was led by Animesh Kujur’s gold in the men’s 200m and highlighted by a national record in the women’s pole vault, adding further momentum to the growing race for places in the Aichi-Nagoya squad.
Kujur, the national record holder, delivered twice across the day in the 200m. He first dipped under the qualifying mark in the heats with 20.87 seconds, then returned in the final to clock 20.74s to win gold comfortably. Odisha teammate Dondapati Mrutyum Jayaram finished second in 20.97s, while Kerala’s Jishnu Prasad PK took bronze in 21.18s.
Records and qualifiers: pole vault, sprints and throws
The biggest headline on the day came in the women’s pole vault, where Karnataka’s Sindhushree G cleared 4.25m to break the national record and secure qualification for Aichi-Nagoya. The previous record holder, Baranica Elangovan, was close behind with a 4.20m effort, and Nitika Akare made it three qualifiers in the event by clearing 4.10m.
The women’s 200m final also produced multiple athletes inside the qualification mark. Harita Bhadra won in 23.14s, with Unnathi Bollanda second in 23.40s and Prakruthi Roopa Rao B third in 23.58s, all finishing within the required standard.
In the women’s shot put, Manpreet Kaur topped the field with a winning throw of 17.75m. Krishna Jayasankar and Srishti Vig followed, and both also surpassed the qualification mark, underlining the depth emerging in the event as the championships move deeper into the schedule.
Middle-distance and combined events add to the tally
Indian middle-distance running also had a productive evening. In the women’s 800m, Gowthami Jayaraman, Pooja and Lili Das all went under the qualification standard, adding three more names to the list of athletes who strengthened their Asian Games cases on Day 2.
In the men’s 800m final, Mohammed Afsal P emerged as the lone qualifier, winning gold in 1:48.57 to meet the benchmark.
Elsewhere on the track, national record holder Tejas Shirse continued his strong run of form by clocking 13.43 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles heats to seal qualification.
In the combined events, Kerala’s Thowfeeq N and Maharashtra’s Kushal Mohite both crossed the Asian Games benchmark in the decathlon, scoring 7,276 points and 7,251 points respectively.
What Day 2 means for India’s Aichi-Nagoya selection race
With the championships entering what was described as the “business end,” the results from Day 2 reinforced how quickly the competition for places is intensifying across track and field. Multiple events produced more than one athlete meeting the AFI’s Asian Games standards, while others saw single standout qualifiers, adding shape to the selection picture as the meet progresses.
At the same time, the performances come with an important caveat: meeting the qualification standards strengthens an athlete’s case, but the final squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be selected at the discretion of the AFI.
