India Athletes Use Smart Track for Asian Games 2026 Prep

India’s middle- and long-distance track athletes are training with real-time performance data at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru as preparations continue for the Asian Games 2026.

A national coaching camp at the SAI centre is scheduled to run until September 8 and has been sanctioned by the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. The camp forms part of the build-up to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which are scheduled from September 19 to October 4.

The Bengaluru programme includes athletes from several disciplines, with the centre’s specialised smart track giving coaches immediate access to timing and running data during training. All eight named athletes at the camp are part of India’s approved 73-member athletics contingent, comprising 35 men and 38 women, for the Games.

Real-time data at the centre of Bengaluru camp

The smart track captures speed, split times, total time, stride length and stride frequency as an athlete runs. According to Suresh Kumar, an athletics coach at SAI NCOE Bengaluru, the information is delivered in real time and can be used directly in training.

“This is one of its kind in India,” Kumar said while explaining the system. He said the placement of gates allows coaches to receive split timings at different points as well as total time and stride-related data.

The technology is intended to complement the existing athletics facilities rather than replace them. Magnetic timing gates are embedded beneath the synthetic track surface, with gates positioned on both the straight and around the curve. That setup allows coaches to examine different phases of a run and offers data that can be difficult to collect manually while an athlete is in motion.

An accompanying app allows the information to be accessed immediately for later analysis. Kumar said electronic timing in training gives athletes a clearer view of their performances, including at competitions held at the venue.

The system was installed in 2024 and has been used by elite athletes training at the Bengaluru centre. It was also used extensively by para-athletes Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Mohammed Basil before the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, where they finished first and second respectively in the men’s 100m T47 category to win gold and silver.

Athletes named in the national camp

The current camp features 800m runner Krishan Kumar, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, high jumpers Aadarsh Ram and Supriya B, decathlete Thowfeeq N, middle- and long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary, and race walkers Manju Rani and Priyanka.

They are working within a support structure that includes race-walking coach Ronald Gerd Weigel, jumps coach Sahana Kumari Nagaraj Gobbargumpi, coach Kalyan Chaudhary and masseuse Meena Sagar Ugale. The camp combines coaching, sports science and technology during a key period before the Asian Games.

Embedded timing system offers all-weather use

One practical benefit of the smart track is that the embedded equipment remains available in changing conditions. Kumar said the system can be used in rain or dusty conditions, unlike conventional portable timing equipment that may require additional protection or set-up.

The technology can also be fitted to an existing synthetic track by placing magnetic gates beneath the surface, according to Kumar, with installation possible within a day. For the athletes now based at the Bengaluru camp, that means timing and split information can be gathered without interrupting regular running sessions.

With the Asian Games window approaching, the smart-track system gives India’s selected athletics contingent a consistent source of electronic performance data during camp. The focus in Bengaluru is on using that information alongside specialist coaching as the group prepares for competition in Aichi-Nagoya.