The focus will squarely be on the big names travelling for the Asian Games as the invitation-only, season-ending Indian Athletics Final Series at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday is set to be the most decorated domestic event of the calendar year.

The Athletics Federation of India has opted for 30 disciplines — 15 each in men and women — in the one-day, single-session event. The cream of Indian track and field, including almost all the Asiad-bound names, will be looking to assess their competition worthiness one last time ahead of the continental extravaganza.

The athletes were invited as per their ranking across the Athletics Series through the year, with the quartermilers expected to be in the spotlight. In men’s 400m, National record holder Vishal T.K., Rajesh Ramesh, Manu T.S., Dharamveer Chaudhary, Mohammed Ashfaq and Jay Kumar have all been called up to compete.

Vishal has also been named in the 200m start list along with Animesh Kujur, who will also be gunning to regain his title of the fastest Indian man in 100m.

NR holder Gurindervir Singh and Harjit Singh are in the shortest sprint, the former hoping to allay fitness concerns. Also returning to action after almost a year and half out with injury and rehab is Avinash Sable in 3000m steeplechase. Ten of the 15 Asian Games medallists from Hangzhou who are bound for Aichi-Nagoya have been named in the start list.

There is no 200m for women while men’s discus throw hasn’t been included either. Harita Bhadra, a late addition to the Asiad squad after winning the 200m National Inter-State championships title in June with a season’s best effort, will be running in 100m along with Unnathi Bollanda Aiyappa.

Yashvir Singh, having made the cut after Neeraj Chopra was ruled out with injury, and Rohit Yadav, will both start in men’s javelin throw while Annu Rani will do so in the women’s section. Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor will also compete for honours.

Some of the athletes have been given exemption, including Murali Sreeshankar (long jump), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump) and Sarvesh Kushare (high jump). The more gruelling events like middle and long-distance runs and decathlon have not been included.

Eighteen-year-old hammer thrower Anushka Yadav smashed a nine-year-old National record, pole vaulter Dev Meena bettered the National record and hurdler Jyothi Yarraji made a stunning comeback from injury in the National inter-state athletics meet at the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.

The evening belonged to an unheralded Anushka, a National under-20 record holder hailing from Baghpat, as she unexpectedly broke the National mark in her second attempt (65.64m). She bettered it in her last throw to log 67.02m, a five-plus metres improvement on her previous best of 62.89m, to qualify for the Asian Games.

“I had a knee injury in March while I was handling agricultural equipment to help my father in our field. I made a good recovery to perform here,” said Anushka.

Meena overcame the challenges of competing in humid weather by staying hydrated and booked his Asiad spot with a mark of 5.46m.

Jyothi asserted her class as she timed 13.14 in the women’s 100m hurdles heats to achieve Asian Games qualification before clocking 12.99 in the final to win the race. “I waited for this moment. The same day last year I got injured. I was in no mood to give up,” Jyothi.

National record holder Gulveer Singh, who is still acclimatising after returning from his training base in the USA a week ago, ran a slow race in ‘hot’ morning conditions to clock 13:52.92 and emerge victorious. However, he could not achieve the coveted qualification mark.

Altogether 15 athletes qualified in the men’s 800m heats.

The results (finals): Men: 5000m (Asiad Q mark 13:39.18): 1. Gulveer Singh (UP) 13:52.92, 2. Abhishek Pal (UP) 13:54.18, 3. Harmanjot Singh (Pun) 13:54.60; Pole vault (Asiad Q mark 5.45m): 1. Dev Meena (MP) 5.46m (NR, Old 5.45m, Kuldeep Kumar, 2026), 2. Reegan G. (TN) 5.30m, 3. Kuldeep Kumar (MP) 5.20m.

Women: 5000m (Asiad Q mark 15:36.58): 1. Seema (HP) 16:11.04, 2. Bharti (Har) 16:17.10, 3. Ravina Gayakwad (Mah) 16:32.92; 100m hurdles (Asiad Q mark 13.34): 1. Jyothi Yarraji (AP) 12.99, 2. Nandhini K. (TN) 13.22, 3. Pragyan Prasanti Sahu (Odi) 13.48; Triple jump (Asiad Q mark 13.34m): 1. I. Asha Ilango (TN) 13.89m (NMR, Old 13.72m, Mayookha Johny, 2014), 2. Niharika Vashisht (Pun) 13.22m, 3. Mallala Anusha (AP) 13.13m; Hammer (Asiad Q mark 61.72m): 1. Anushka Yadav (UP) 67.02m (NR, Old 65.25m, Sarita Singh, 2017), 2. Tanya Chaudhary (UP) 61.70m, 3. Harshita Sehrawat (Del) 60.92m.

Tejas Shirse broke his own national record in men’s 110m hurdles with a stunning run during the Indian Athletics Series 9 here on Saturday (June 13, 2026).

The 24-year-old Shirse, representing Reliance Foundation, ran 13.27 seconds to better his previous national record of 13.41 seconds he had clocked in 2024.

He also bettered the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark of 13.39 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India. He had won gold in the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month, clocking 13.50 seconds.

Shirse’s 13.27 seconds is the sixth best of the season in Asia.

Ancy Sojan makes a fashion statement every time she steps on the track. The long jumper turns heads with an eclectic mix of goggles, braided hair, signature headbands and matching eyelashes. Her exuberant pre-jump ritual gets the crowd behind her.

And when it is competition time, she more often than not delivers good performances, like the one at the Federation Cup meet in Ranchi last month. She achieved her personal best of 6.75 metres, the third-best effort by an Indian, behind Anju Bobby George’s 6.83m and Shaili Singh’s 6.76m. But the 25-year-old from Thrissur is not satiated and is pushing herself to touch the gold standard of seven metres.

“I had a few health issues last season, and it is sort of a comeback for me. I am happy that I achieved my personal best in Ranchi. But I am looking for consistency. I definitely want to improve on the silver medal I won in the last Asian Games.

“Medals in major events depend on many factors. I believe in giving my best shot, focusing on things I can control, working hard and trusting the process. I am not worried about the results,’’ Ancy said on the sidelines of the recent Tony Daniel State meet in Kollam.

Ancy, who started her season with 6.54m at Indian Open 1 in April, has gradually improved as the year has progressed. Though she hit 6.75m in Ranchi, she fell short of her goal — the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 6.84m — leaving her a tad disappointed.

But Ancy’s coach Anoop Joseph is confident that his ward can achieve it if things fall in place at the 65th National Inter-State meet in Bhubaneswar later this month.

“She is jumping with confidence and rhythm, and I won’t be surprised if she jumps beyond 6.80m soon. Yes, breaching seven metres is our ultimate dream. We have been working on improving her speed. She is now running in faster and she maintains the momentum when she approaches the take-off board. She is improving with every competition,’’ said Anoop.

Exuding confidence after becoming the first Indian to clock a sub-45 seconds time, quartermiler Vishal T.K. said his positive mindset was the key to his success.

The 22-year-old, who owned the National record (45.12) prior to the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) here, rose to the occassion and scripted history by clocking 44.98.

His result was a combination of hard work and manifestation as he pulled out a piece of paper with ‘44 COMING HOME’ written on it.

“I feel proud. I did this for my country. I trained hard, it’s always behind the scenes. Competition is easier..I missed the Commonwealth Games qualification (narrowly). God has some other plans. I’ll work hard and come again,” said Vishal.

Vishal credited his coach Jason Dawson, who’s like a father figure to him, for inculcating a strong mindset in him. “I made up my mind, read my race, visualised it…Visualization is a part of the work. You’ve already run a race in the mind.

“It becomes easier…This is my coach’s mindset which I have. He taught me a lot. I’m still learning from him.

“It’s not about the conditions, it’s about the mindset. I can run on the sea also. We’ve to be positive.”

C. Latha, a former 800m National champion and the secretary of the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association, which supported Vishal in his formative years, was excited. “We expected him to clock 44 seconds at the Indian Open 400m Meet at Thiruvananthapuram (in March). But his coach said Vishal would peak for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

“I expected both Vishal and Rajesh Ramesh, who has been consistent for the last four years, to go below 45. I came with a poster for them but was disappointed. I’m sure both will do 44 at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and win medals,” said Latha.

Looking at a bigger picture, Vishal liked the keen competition among Indian quartermilers. “India is here to compete. We’re coming. Five of us competed (clocking 45 seconds or less). I’m happy for them. They’re also working hard. Hopefully, next year, 44 will be easier,” said Vishal.

Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh lowered the National 100m record twice, while Asian Games silver medallist long jumper Ancy Sojan rewrote the meet record on the opening day of the Federation athletics meet at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) on Friday.

In the conducive evening session, Gurindervir clocked 10.17 to break Kujur’s National record in the semifinals. Within minutes, displaying healthy rivalry, Kujur dashed to regain his record with a mark of 10.15 and attained the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark.

Ancy and her close rival Shaili Singh also exhibited another fine episode of rivalry. Responding to Shaili’s first jump of 6.38m, Ancy logged 6.47 before consistently achieving five 6.5m-plus jumps, including her fourth (6.75m) to erase Shaili’s meet record (6.64m) and win the gold with her personal best. However, she fell short of the CWG qualifying mark by nine cm.

“My first target was to perform without a jump foul. I aim for the Commonwealth (qualification mark),” said Ancy.

Deepak Bhatt ran a well-planned race, going into the lead in the last 70m, to claim his maiden 10,000m title.

Bihar’s Vibhaskar Kumar recorded a stunning 10.36 in the men’s 100m heats and qualified for the Asian under-23 championships.

In the decathlon high jump event, Tejaswin Shankar achieved 2.25m to surpass the CWG mark (2.22m).

The results (finals): Men: 10000m (CWG Q mark 27:39.03): 1. Deepak Bhatt (Utk) 29:42.93, 2. Sailesh Kushwaha (Kar) 29:57.56, 3. Prashant Choudhary (UP) 30:36.97.

Hammer throw (CWG Q mark 73.09m): 1. Ashish Jakhar (SSCB) 68.52m, 2. Damneet Singh (Rel.) 67.62m, 3. Ajay Kumar (Har) 64.93m.

3000m steeplechase (CWG Q mark 8:30.26): 1. Balkishan (Har) 8:56.01, 2. Sharuk Khan (UP) 8:56.63, 3. Sunil Joliya Jinabhai (Guj) 8:58.38.

Women: 10000m (CWG Q mark 31:14.14): 1. Ravina Gayakwad (Mah) 35:40.98, 2. Soniya (Utk) 36:16.22, 3. Aarti Pawara (Mah) 36:24.79.

Long jump (CWG Q mark 6.84m): 1. Ancy Sojan (Navy) 6.75m (MR, Old 6.64, Shaili Singh, 2025), 2. Shaili Singh (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.58m, 3. Bhavani Yadav (NCOE Bengaluru) 6.39m.

3000m steeplechase (CWG Q mark 9:27.41): 1. Ankita Dhyani (Utk) 9:48.16, 2. Prachi Devkar (IOCL) 10:16.29, 3. Anju (Har) 10:28.23.

Discus (CWG Q mark 56.85m): 1. Seema (JSW) 57.29m, 2. Nidhi Rani (Har) 55.05m, 3. Krishna Jayasankar (Rel.) 55.00m.

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis cruised to pole vault victory in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season on Saturday (May 16, 2026), but failed to improve his own world record.

There was a surprise in the men’s 100m as Gift Leotlela of South Africa pipped Ferdinand Omanyala and Kenneth Bednarek in a photo finish to win a Diamond League event for the first time.

High-quality women’s 200m and 100m hurdles were won by Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Olympic champion Masai Russell respectively, but Karsten Warholm was shocked in the 300m hurdles.

Duplantis already had victory sewn up in the pole vault after just two jumps before he eased to a new Shanghai meeting record in 6.12m.

The Swede, who has not lost a competition since 2023, then raised the bar to a world record 6.32m but failed with all three attempts to beat his old mark.

Duplantis told AFP he felt the record had been possible.

“I feel really good jumping right now,” said Duplantis, who has lengthened his run-up by two paces this season.

“I would say body-wise I was a little bit too busy the past few weeks. But other than that I’m happy with the way I performed.”

Norway’s Warholm clocked two world bests in the little-raced 300m hurdles last season but was stunned by 0.04sec by Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos (33.01).

“I’m a little bit mad that I didn’t win,” said Warholm.

“I think he was really starting to get tired and I thought maybe I had him there. This is how competing should be, you should never know the outcome.”

Leotlela said his men’s 100m victory in 9.97sec had been the perfect start to his outdoor year.

“I think tonight sets the tone for the rest of the season,” he said. “I’m very happy, excited for what’s to come.”

American Bednarek was just 100th of a second behind Leotlela in third, given the same 9.98sec time as Kenya’s Omanyala.

“I feel pretty good,” said Bednarek, the 200m silver medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“I didn’t execute what I wanted to in the first half of the race but I’m happy with the results.”

‘Stay healthy’

Jamaica’s Jackson crossed the line in the 200m in 22.07 to beat Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas (22.26), who was running her first Diamond League race for three years, with American Anavia Battle third in 22.40.

“This year, I just want to stay healthy,” said Jackson.

“Next season’s a world championship year, so I just want to stay as healthy as possible.”

Former world 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States could only finish fourth in 20.42 and world silver medallist Amy Hunt of Great Britain was fifth.

Jessica Schilder recorded the performance of the night as she propelled the shot to a Diamond League record and became the first woman to exceed 21 metres since 1999.

The Dutchwoman launched her huge 21.09m effort in the fifth round to relegate two-time world champion Chase Jackson (20.46) to second place.

“I can’t comprehend. It is such a huge thing, it is crazy,” Schilder said of breaking the 21-metre barrier.

In the women’s 100m hurdles, the American Russell’s superb 12.25 was good enough to beat Bahamian world indoor champion Devynne Charlton (12.38), with world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria third in 12.41.

Mark English’s late burst snatched a dramatic men’s 800m with a meeting record of 1:43.85.

The 33-year-old Irishman dipped past Botswana’s Kethobogile Haingura on the line, having come from six runners back in the final 30 metres.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Jamal Britt upset his fellow American and world champion Cordell Tinch to win with a personal best-equalling 13.07sec.