The 21st National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana concluded with several new meet and national records being set. Himanshu Kumar and Krishan Chandra broke records in high jump and javelin throw, respectively, while Haryana led the medal tally.
On the opening day of the 65th National Open Athletics Championships in New Delhi, Kuldeep Kumar set a new pole vault meet record of 5.30m, and Asha Ilango broke a decade-old triple jump record with 13.89m. Other notable performances included Nirbhay Choudhary's hammer throw gold, Seema's discus gold, and impressive sprints from Giridharani Ravikumar and Manikanta Hoblidhar.
Tamil Nadu sprinters Neil Samraj R and T Mrithika secured gold medals in the men's and women's 100m events, respectively, at the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana. Both athletes set new records, with Samraj breaking the youth national record and Mrithika surpassing a meet record previously held by Dutee Chand.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed optimism about the state securing hosting rights for the World Athletics Championship 2031 after meeting a delegation from the international governing body. The delegation is assessing Gujarat's sports infrastructure and readiness for both the 2028 U20 Championships and the 2031 senior championships, highlighting the state's growing ambition to host major global sporting events.
Five Indian relay teams are set to compete in the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, aiming to secure qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
India will host the World Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time in 2028 in Bhubaneswar. The decision was made at the World Athletics Council meeting in Torun, Poland.
India has been awarded the rights to host the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in 2028, marking a significant moment for Indian athletics.
All five Indian quartets failed to qualify for the final rounds of the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, missing the chance to secure berths for the 2027 World Championships. They will have another opportunity on Sunday.
India concluded their campaign at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, securing second place with a total of 19 medals, including 10 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze.
Haryana emerged as the top performer at the 24th National Para Athletics Championships, held in Bhubaneswar, India, securing an impressive 95 medals. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat followed in second and third place respectively.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced a 48-member Indian team for the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, featuring talented athletes like Shahnavaz Khan, Mohammed Ashfaq, and Pooja.
The 65th National Open Athletics Championships begins on Thursday in New Delhi, featuring hammer thrower Nirbhay Choudhary aiming to improve his national record and sprinter Manikanta Hoblidhar making a comeback from injury. Other prominent athletes like race walker Servin Sebastian, Olympians Paramjeet Singh Bisht and Suraj Panwar, and long-distance runner Abhishek Pal are also set to compete, alongside several Asian Games medallists.
Ankita shattered a decade-old meet record in the women's 3000m steeplechase, securing gold at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships. Jishnu Prasad also set a new meet record in the men's 200m, highlighting a day of impressive athletic achievements.
Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, marking the first time an African city will stage the prestigious event. World Athletics also announced Munich as the host for the 2031 championships. This decision follows Nairobi's previous unsuccessful bid for 2025 and highlights Kenya's strong connection to athletics.
India bids for another global meet, this time 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships
Aadrash Ram Jothi Shankar won a bronze medal in the men's high jump at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships. Praveen Chithravel finished fourth in the men's triple jump. Manikanta Hoblidhar was disqualified in the 60m heats.
Gurindervir Singh set a national record in the 60m sprint at the National Indoor Athletics Championships after Animesh Kujur's disqualification.
Indian athletes Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan have made history at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene, Oregon, winning silver in men's high jump and bronze in men's long jump, respectively, bringing India's medal tally to three.
India's young athletes demonstrated strong performances on the second day of the inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, securing three bronze medals. Shakeel and Bhumeshwory Devi Huidrom earned bronze in the men's and women's 800m respectively, while Abhay Singh added another bronze in the men's 200m race.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian contingent for their performance at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championship in Hong Kong, where they won 19 medals, including 10 gold.
Sahil of Rajasthan broke the boys' 1,000m meet record at the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana, clocking 2:25.25. Haryana's Dev also surpassed the previous record, securing silver. The event also saw other notable performances across various categories for both boys and girls under 18.
Top Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav has undergone elbow surgery, forcing him to miss the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, despite being in a qualifying spot. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation and hopes to return next season.
India concluded the third day of the inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships with a total of 11 medals, adding three more on Saturday. Distance runner Shivaji Parashuram secured his second silver medal in the men's 10,000m, while Priya won bronze in discus throw and Shravani Sangle claimed bronze in the 400m hurdles.
The Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Competition in Ranchi will serve as the selection trial for the Asian U23 Athletics Championships. Athletes aged 20-22 are eligible, and the event also serves as a qualifier for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
In the 2023 edition, India had won 27 medals to finish third in the standings behind Japan and China.
Karnataka sprinter Manikanta Hoblidhar secured the 100m gold medal at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships in New Delhi on Friday, despite suffering from stomach cramps. He clocked 10.25 seconds, narrowly missing his own meet record. In another event, race walker Servin Sebastian was penalised, losing his gold medal in the men's 20km race walk, with Suraj Pawar winning the men's 21km half marathon race walk.
India is set to host its first-ever National Indoor Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar, marking a significant step towards hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2028. The event will feature a 200m track and various field events, providing a novel experience for Indian athletes.
Teenage hammer thrower Anushka Yadav broke the meet record at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships in New Delhi on Saturday with a throw of 66.53m, surpassing the previous record held by Manju Bala. She dominated the event, with her closest competitor significantly behind.
India will mount a "strategic" bid for the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships when the process begins later this year, hoping to get the hosting rights of one of the two editions of the showpiece, national federation spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said on Sunday.
The Indian Pencak Silat Federation will host the 4th Junior & 11th Senior Asian Pencak Silat Championship in Goa from April 19 to 23 next year, bringing together top athletes from across Asia with endorsement from PERSILAT.
Indian swimmers delivered a strong performance at the 2nd Asian Masters Swimming Championship in Bengaluru, securing multiple gold and silver medals across various age categories and events. Jay Prakash Ekbote won gold in the men's 50m butterfly, while S Feroz Mohamed triumphed in the men's 200m breaststroke. Indian women swimmers also excelled, with Jalaja Shirole and Loveleen Johal winning gold in their respective butterfly events.
An 18-member Indian boxing team has departed for Budva, Montenegro, to compete in the World U-19 Championships starting on October 18. The team includes medallists from the Asian U-19 Championships and aims to improve upon India's previous performance of 17 medals in the inaugural edition.
Indian hurdler Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan is heading to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with high confidence, following impressive performances at the Paris Olympics and Asian Athletics Championships. He attributes his success to consistent training at the Inspire Institute of Sport and is focused on delivering his best performance while representing India.
India's Asian Games athletics team has been trimmed to 74 members, with prominent athletes like javelin thrower Annu Rani, long jumper Shahnavaz Khan, and sprinter Nithya Gandhe dropped due to performance or medical reasons. The decision followed a confirmatory event, while some injured national record holders were cleared to participate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian contingent for their performance at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships, where they secured 19 medals, including 10 gold.
Indian long jumper Shaili Singh discusses her controversial fourth-place finish at the Asian Games, where her jump measurement was disputed. She expresses her determination to move past the incident, focusing on upcoming competitions and her recovery from an ankle injury, while also exploring the triple jump.
'We will announce the team on August 30. More confirmation has to come from World Athletics by then.'
Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the Indian contingent for their performance at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, highlighting their medal haul as a sign of India's sporting strength.
World-record holder Alison dos Santos secured victory in the men's 400m hurdles, while Djamel Sedjati surprisingly won the men's 800m on the final day of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Other winners included Jasmine Jones (women's 400m hurdles), Rumesh Pathirage (men's javelin), and Likina Amebaw (women's 5,000m) at the event in Budapest, which featured a record $10 million prize pot.
India has announced a 36-member squad, comprising 23 men and 13 women, for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA, from August 5 to 9. The team includes national record holder Pooja Singh and long jumper Shahnavaz Khan, and will compete across 18 track and field events.
