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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.
Meena, the pole vaulter from Madhya Pradesh, 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 strengthen his status as India’s premier pole vaulter.
Anushka, however, provided the biggest surprise of the day. The hammer thrower first surpassed the existing national record and the Asian Games qualifying mark before producing an even better effort later in the competition to improve the record further. The performance capped a breakthrough day for the youngster and announced her arrival on the national stage.
HURDLERS BOOK NAGOYA BERTHS
National record holder Jyothi Yarraji secured her ticket to Nagoya after clocking 13.14 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles. The Asian champion looked in complete control as she comfortably met the required mark.
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 the continental showpiece, 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.
– Ends
