India -The second day of the 65th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar witnessed a series of record-breaking performances as pole vaulter Dev Meena, hammer thrower Anushka Yadav and hurdler Jyothi Yarraji stole the limelight by securing Asian Games qualification and rewriting the record books.
The evening session came alive with several athletes surpassing the qualification standards set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Madhya Pradesh’s Dev Meena delivered a sensational performance in the men’s pole vault, clearing 5.46 metres to clinch the gold medal. The effort improved his own national record of 5.45m, which he jointly held with training partner Kuldeep Kumar, and also exceeded the Asian Games qualification mark of 5.45m.
“It feels great to improve the national record before heading to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The competition was tough and I’m happy to have raised my level,” said Dev after his victory.
The event also saw the top three finishers surpass the previous meet record of 5.20m set by M. Gowtham in 2025.
Eighteen-year-old Anushka Yadav emerged as another star performer, producing a stunning throw of 67.02 metres in the women’s hammer throw to claim gold, break the national record and seal her place for the Asian Games.
The young Uttar Pradesh athlete erased Sarita A. Singh’s national record of 65.25m, set in 2017, besides bettering the championship record of 65.03m established by Rachna in 2023.
“I am grateful to my family for standing by me after I suffered an injury in March. Winning the senior national record and qualifying for the Asian Games is a dream come true,” an emotional Anushka said after her victory.
Asian Games silver medallist and national record holder Jyothi Yarraji made a memorable return from injury by winning the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.99 seconds. The Andhra Pradesh athlete had already gone below the Asian Games qualification mark of 13.34 seconds during the heats before improving further in the final.
“It is ironic that I got injured on June 24 last year. After 12 months of rehabilitation, returning with a sub-13-second performance is incredibly satisfying,” said Jyothi.
Tamil Nadu’s Nandhini K claimed silver in 13.22 seconds, also securing the qualification standard for the Asian Games.
Tamil Nadu’s Lasha Ilango added another impressive performance by winning the women’s triple jump with a leap of 13.89 metres. The effort not only earned her the gold medal but also improved the meet record and comfortably crossed the Asian Games qualification mark of 13.34 metres.
Earlier in the morning session, Uttar Pradesh’s Gulveer Singh dominated the men’s 5,000 metres, winning the race in 13 minutes 52.92 seconds after producing a powerful final lap. Although he finished outside the Asian Games qualification standard of 13:39.18, the Asian Games bronze medallist once again showcased his strength in domestic competition.
“I could have run faster, but there was nobody to push me during the race,” Gulveer said after the victory.
Abhishek Pal finished second in 13:54.18, while Punjab’s Harmanjot Singh took third in 13:54.60.
With multiple national records tumbling and several athletes achieving the Asian Games qualification standards, the championships continue to underline India’s growing strength in track and field as preparations gather pace for the continental event in Japan.
