Dev Meena, Anushka Yadav shine on Inter-State C'ships opener, seal Asiad 2026 spots
Asian Games qualification took centre stage on Day 1 of the National Inter-State Championships, with multiple athletes achieving the required standards and Gulveer Singh claiming gold in the men's 5000m.
Pole vaulter Dev Meena and hammer thrower Anushka Yadav stole the spotlight as records tumbled on the opening day of the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, June 24. Meena cleared 5.46m to rewrite the men's national pole vault mark, while Anushka emerged as the surprise package of the meet, breaking the women's hammer throw record twice and booking her place at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
Dev Meena headlined the field events with a clearance of 5.46m, improving his own national record by a centimetre and comfortably achieving the Asian Games qualification standard. The feat came barely a month after the youngster was involved in a gripping duel with Kuldeep Kumar at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, where both athletes cleared 5.45m to break the national record. Meena had eventually claimed gold on countback, and in Bhubaneswar he raised the bar yet again to underline his status as India's leading pole vaulter.
Anushka, however, emerged as the biggest story of the day. The 18-year-old from Baleni village in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district shattered the women's hammer throw national record twice en route to a best effort of 67.02m, eclipsing Sarita Singh's long-standing mark of 65.25m set in 2017.
The youngster opened with a throw of 62.07m before breaking the national record with 65.64m in her second attempt. After a third-round effort of 64.81m and a foul in the fifth round, she saved her best for last, launching the hammer to 67.02m to improve the record further. Her first record-breaking throw also comfortably cleared the Athletics Federation of India's Asian Games qualification mark of 61.72m.
The performance represented a remarkable leap for Anushka, whose previous official personal best stood at 62.89m. The youngster, whose father Sushil Yadav is a former hammer thrower and one of her coaches, revealed that she took up the sport at a young age under his guidance.
"My father makes me play hammer. I have three personal coaches, including my father and Chirag Yadav. I trained at my local ground," Anushka was quoted as saying by PTI.
The 18-year-old has already set her sights on bigger targets.
"I want to throw 70m plus and win gold in the Asian Games."
Her achievement was made even more remarkable by the fact that she had suffered a ligament fracture in March while helping repair a tractor on her family's farmland. She recovered in time for the championships and produced the performance of her career in Bhubaneswar.
JYOTHI'S COMEBACK
National record holder Jyothi Yarraji marked an emotional return to competition after nearly a year on the sidelines with a strong showing in the women's 100m hurdles.
The Asian Games silver medallist first clocked 13.14 seconds in the heats to breach the qualification standard before improving to 12.99 seconds in the final to clinch gold. The performance came almost exactly a year after she suffered an ACL injury during training, an issue that required surgery and kept her away from competition.
Running with tape on both legs, Yarraji later reflected on the significance of the result.
"Exactly this day last year I got injured. The same day I came back to track and I showed up myself. It means a lot to me," Yarraji was quoted as saying by PTI.
"I'm feeling good, comfortable. Not feeling nervous, though I'm doing competition after one year."
The 26-year-old credited the work she put in during rehabilitation and the support of coach James Hiller for helping her return to competition.
"I don't know how physically I'm strong. But mentally I'm 10 times better than before. So this is what makes me."
Looking ahead to the Asian Games, Yarraji said her focus would be on staying fit and challenging for gold.
Nandhini K joined Yarraji on the list of qualifiers after running 13.24 seconds in the same event, highlighting India's growing depth in women's sprint hurdles.
Asha Ilango also punched her ticket to Nagoya, soaring to 13.89m in the women's triple jump.
GULVEER LIVES UP TO BILLING
In the men's 5000m final, national record holder Gulveer Singh lived up to expectations by clinching gold in 13:52.92. Abhishek Pal finished second in 13:54.18, while Harmanjot Singh completed the podium with a time of 13:54.60.
The men's 800m heats also witnessed strong competition, with 15 athletes progressing to the next round. Among those to advance were Mogali Venkatram, Prathamesh Deore, Shakeel, Krishan Kumar, Salman Farookh and Mayank Yadav as the battle for places in the Indian team gathered pace.
PROMISING START
With two national records, several Asian Games qualifiers and a dominant victory from Gulveer, the National Inter-State Championships got off to an encouraging start in Bhubaneswar. The competition, a key selection event ahead of Nagoya 2026, is expected to produce more qualification marks and standout performances over the coming days.
Attention will now turn to an action-packed second day featuring the men's and women's 200m rounds, the 800m finals, women's pole vault final and men's discus throw final. The men's 110m hurdles will also get underway, while the half-marathon race walk is set to crown its champions as athletes continue their push for places at next year's Asian Games.
Pole vaulter Dev Meena and hammer thrower Anushka Yadav stole the spotlight as records tumbled on the opening day of the National Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, June 24. Meena cleared 5.46m to rewrite the men's national pole vault mark, while Anushka emerged as the surprise package of the meet, breaking the women's hammer throw record twice and booking her place at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
Dev Meena headlined the field events with a clearance of 5.46m, improving his own national record by a centimetre and comfortably achieving the Asian Games qualification standard. The feat came barely a month after the youngster was involved in a gripping duel with Kuldeep Kumar at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, where both athletes cleared 5.45m to break the national record. Meena had eventually claimed gold on countback, and in Bhubaneswar he raised the bar yet again to underline his status as India's leading pole vaulter.
Anushka, however, emerged as the biggest story of the day. The 18-year-old from Baleni village in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district shattered the women's hammer throw national record twice en route to a best effort of 67.02m, eclipsing Sarita Singh's long-standing mark of 65.25m set in 2017.
The youngster opened with a throw of 62.07m before breaking the national record with 65.64m in her second attempt. After a third-round effort of 64.81m and a foul in the fifth round, she saved her best for last, launching the hammer to 67.02m to improve the record further. Her first record-breaking throw also comfortably cleared the Athletics Federation of India's Asian Games qualification mark of 61.72m.
The performance represented a remarkable leap for Anushka, whose previous official personal best stood at 62.89m. The youngster, whose father Sushil Yadav is a former hammer thrower and one of her coaches, revealed that she took up the sport at a young age under his guidance.
"My father makes me play hammer. I have three personal coaches, including my father and Chirag Yadav. I trained at my local ground," Anushka was quoted as saying by PTI.
The 18-year-old has already set her sights on bigger targets.
"I want to throw 70m plus and win gold in the Asian Games."
Her achievement was made even more remarkable by the fact that she had suffered a ligament fracture in March while helping repair a tractor on her family's farmland. She recovered in time for the championships and produced the performance of her career in Bhubaneswar.
JYOTHI'S COMEBACK
National record holder Jyothi Yarraji marked an emotional return to competition after nearly a year on the sidelines with a strong showing in the women's 100m hurdles.
The Asian Games silver medallist first clocked 13.14 seconds in the heats to breach the qualification standard before improving to 12.99 seconds in the final to clinch gold. The performance came almost exactly a year after she suffered an ACL injury during training, an issue that required surgery and kept her away from competition.
Running with tape on both legs, Yarraji later reflected on the significance of the result.
"Exactly this day last year I got injured. The same day I came back to track and I showed up myself. It means a lot to me," Yarraji was quoted as saying by PTI.
"I'm feeling good, comfortable. Not feeling nervous, though I'm doing competition after one year."
The 26-year-old credited the work she put in during rehabilitation and the support of coach James Hiller for helping her return to competition.
"I don't know how physically I'm strong. But mentally I'm 10 times better than before. So this is what makes me."
Looking ahead to the Asian Games, Yarraji said her focus would be on staying fit and challenging for gold.
Nandhini K joined Yarraji on the list of qualifiers after running 13.24 seconds in the same event, highlighting India's growing depth in women's sprint hurdles.
Asha Ilango also punched her ticket to Nagoya, soaring to 13.89m in the women's triple jump.
GULVEER LIVES UP TO BILLING
In the men's 5000m final, national record holder Gulveer Singh lived up to expectations by clinching gold in 13:52.92. Abhishek Pal finished second in 13:54.18, while Harmanjot Singh completed the podium with a time of 13:54.60.
The men's 800m heats also witnessed strong competition, with 15 athletes progressing to the next round. Among those to advance were Mogali Venkatram, Prathamesh Deore, Shakeel, Krishan Kumar, Salman Farookh and Mayank Yadav as the battle for places in the Indian team gathered pace.
PROMISING START
With two national records, several Asian Games qualifiers and a dominant victory from Gulveer, the National Inter-State Championships got off to an encouraging start in Bhubaneswar. The competition, a key selection event ahead of Nagoya 2026, is expected to produce more qualification marks and standout performances over the coming days.
Attention will now turn to an action-packed second day featuring the men's and women's 200m rounds, the 800m finals, women's pole vault final and men's discus throw final. The men's 110m hurdles will also get underway, while the half-marathon race walk is set to crown its champions as athletes continue their push for places at next year's Asian Games.
