The 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Championship, held from May 22 to 25 at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Morabadi, Ranchi—the state capital—concluded on Monday with a series of thrilling contests.
Top athletes from across the country participated in this four-day national event, and several competitors delivered stellar performances, successfully qualifying for both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games 2026.
Spectators witnessed intense competitions right up to the final day of the event. Throughout the tournament, more than 10 new records were established, while numerous long-standing records were shattered. The men’s shot put event garnered the most attention on the final day of the championship, where 25-year-old Samardeep Singh Gill from Madhya Pradesh clinched the gold medal, edging out the seasoned Tajinderpal Singh Toor from Punjab. Samardeep secured the gold with a throw of 20.46 meters, thereby surpassing the 20.36-meter qualifying standard set for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor finished in second place with a throw of 20.07 meters.
In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, Yashas P from Karnataka and Santhosh Kumar T from NCOE Trivandrum delivered exceptional performances, securing their spots for the Commonwealth Games. Yashas won the gold medal with a timing of 49.00 seconds, while Santhosh Kumar took second place with a time of 49.06 seconds. Both athletes performed better than the prescribed qualifying standard of 50.27 seconds.
In the men’s javelin throw event, young athlete Shivam Lohakare from Maharashtra won the gold medal with a throw of 81.71 meters. However, he missed the Commonwealth Games direct qualifying mark of 82.61 meters by a narrow margin. Yashvir Singh from Rajasthan and Rohit Yadav secured the silver and bronze medals, respectively, with throws of 80.80 meters and 80.40 meters. In the Triple Jump, JSW’s Praveen Chithravel won the gold medal with a leap of 17.08 meters, thereby also qualifying for the Commonwealth Games. This performance stood out as one of the most exceptional displays of the competition. In the men’s 200-meter race, Odisha’s Animesh Kujur claimed the gold medal with a timing of 20.64 seconds; however, he missed the Commonwealth Games qualification standard of 20.61 seconds by a very narrow margin. Kerala’s Jishu Prasad finished in second place, while Reliance’s Abhay Singh took third.
In the men’s 800-meter race, Haryana’s Krishan Kumar secured the gold medal with a time of 1:47.68. Meanwhile, Maharashtra’s Prathamesh A and Satyajit S finished in second and third place, respectively. In the 5000-meter race, Karnataka’s Shivaji Parashuram Madappagou delivered a stellar performance to win the gold medal.
Several impressive performances were also witnessed in the women’s events. In the women’s 400-meter hurdles, Tamil Nadu’s Vithya Ramraj won the gold medal. In the women’s 800-meter race, JSW’s Pooja claimed the gold with a timing of 2:02.42. In the High Jump, Uttar Pradesh’s Khyati Mathur won the gold medal with a leap of 1.82 meters.
