Avinash Sable, Parul Chaudhary, and Praveen Chithravel set new National Records

Chithravel also qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

The Indian trio of Avinash Sable (5000m), Parul Chaudhary (5000m), and Praveen Chitravel (Triple Jump) set new National Records in respective athletics events on May 06 (Saturday). Parul Chaudhary and Avinash Sable broke the national records at the Sound Running Track Festival held in Los Angeles in the women’s and men’s 5000m runs, respectively. While Praveen Chithravel created the NR at a meet in Havana, Cuba to qualify for the World Championships in Budapest.

Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medallist, Avinash Sable, rewrote his own national record in men's 5000m by clocking 13:19.30 minutes, more than a six-second improvement from his previous best time of 13:25:65. The 28-year-old had made the men's 5000m NR his own in 2022 by clocking 13:25.65, thereby smashing the previous national record held by Bahadur Prasad (13:29.70) since 1965.

However, the headlines were made by 28-year-old Parul Chaudhary, who broke the 13-year-long record set at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou by Preeja Sreedharan, bettering it by more than five seconds. Parul clocked 15:10:35, while the previous national record stood at 15:15.89.

Parul, whose previous best performance was at the Asian Championships in 2019, said of the achievement "I am feeling great that I have been able to break a record that has been intact for the last 13 years. I am thankful to my coaches, IIS and JSW Sports for constantly supporting me and ensuring that all my requirements for training are taken care of."

Praveen Chithravel sets new National Record in Men's Triple Jump

Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023 silver medallist Praveen Chitravel clocked 17.37m at a meet in Havana, Cuba to break the six-year-old Men's Triple Jump National Record held by Keralite Renjith Maheswary. The 22-year-old had started his season on a great note by winning the silver medal at the Asian Indoor Championships. He has also jumped 17.17m at the National Open Jumps meet in Bellary. His statemate Selva Kumar, Junior World Championships silver medallist, clocked 16.58m (PB) which is also the National Record in the U-20.

Other Indians in the fray at the Sound Running Track Festival, Ajay Kumar Saroj clocked 03:39.89 minutes (PB) in men's 1500m. Sankar Lal Swami clocked 8:42.92 minutes in the men's steeplechase in his season opener.