Bhubaneswar: Anushka, Dev Meena, and Jyothi secure Asian Games berths at National Inter-State meet

By Rohan Gupta — 24 June 2026 — 3 min read

New National Records Set

At the National Inter-State Athletics Championships held at the Kalinga Stadium, several athletes achieved qualifying marks for the Asian Games. Among them, Anushka Yadav, Dev Meena, and Jyothi Yarraji delivered notable performances. The event, which began on Wednesday, served as a crucial qualifier for the upcoming Asian Games.

Anushka Yadav, an 18-year-old hammer thrower, established a new National record. She initially broke the existing mark with a throw of 65.64m on her second attempt. She further improved this in her final throw, achieving 67.02m, which is more than five metres beyond her previous personal best of 62.89m. This performance secured her spot for the Asian Games.

Yadav shared that she had sustained a knee injury in March while assisting her father with agricultural equipment. Despite this setback, she made a recovery to compete effectively at the championships. Her record-breaking throw surpassed the previous National record of 65.25m, which was set by Sarita Singh in 2017.

In the pole vault event, Dev Meena also set a new National record, clearing 5.46m. This mark exceeded the previous National record of 5.45m held by Kuldeep Kumar. Meena managed to achieve this despite the humid conditions, attributing his success to staying hydrated during the competition.

Jyothi Yarraji, a hurdler, demonstrated a strong return from injury. She qualified for the Asian Games in the women’s 100m hurdles heats with a time of 13.14 seconds. She then went on to win the final, clocking 12.99 seconds. Yarraji expressed her determination, stating that she had been waiting for this moment, especially after sustaining an injury on the same day last year.

Gulveer Singh’s Performance

Gulveer Singh, a National record holder in the men’s 5000m, competed but did not meet the Asian Games qualifying standard. He finished first in the race with a time of 13:52.92. However, this was outside the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualifying time of 13 minutes and 39.18 seconds.

Singh, who had previously won a 10,000m bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games, noted that the conditions were warm and the track felt new, with less grip and more bounce. He also mentioned that he had not performed continuous speed workouts on this particular track. Singh has been training at a high-altitude centre in Colorado Springs, USA, under coach Scott Simmons.

This competition marked Singh’s first event in India this season, following seven previous events in the USA. He is part of the 32-member Indian squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is named for both the 5000m and 10,000m events. Singh is also scheduled to run in the 1500m race on Saturday, an event he does not regularly compete in.

Other Notable Results

In the men’s 5000m final, Abhishek Pal from Uttar Pradesh secured second place with a time of 13:54.18, while Harmanjot Singh from Punjab finished third at 13:54.60. For the men’s pole vault, Reegan G. from Tamil Nadu placed second with 5.30m, and Kuldeep Kumar from Madhya Pradesh was third at 5.20m.

In the women’s 5000m, Seema from Himachal Pradesh won with 16:11.04, followed by Bharti from Haryana at 16:17.10, and Ravina Gayakwad from Maharashtra at 16:32.92. The women’s 100m hurdles saw Nandhini K. from Tamil Nadu take second place with 13.22, and Pragyan Prasanti Sahu from Odisha finish third at 13.48.

The women’s triple jump saw I. Asha Ilango from Tamil Nadu achieve 13.89m, setting a new Meet Record (NMR), surpassing the old record of 13.72m set by Mayookha Johny in 2014. Niharika Vashisht from Punjab was second with 13.22m, and Mallala Anusha from Andhra Pradesh was third with 13.13m. In the women’s hammer throw, Tanya Chaudhary from Uttar Pradesh placed second with 61.70m, and Harshita Sehrawat from Delhi was third with 60.92m.

The Asian Games team is expected to be announced on the final day of the competition, June 28.

Source: thehindu.com

Rohan Gupta

Sports Reporter