Top five breakthrough performances by Indians in athletics in 2023

HH Manikanta broke the 100m national record.

Indian athletes are gearing up for the 2024 season with aspirations of clinching numerous medals, bolstered by invaluable experience and enhanced skills. The outcomes at the Asian Games aligned with expectations, yet notable performances emerged amidst the medal surge in athletics, as athletes ventured into uncharted territory in events such as the world championships.

While the focus understandably gravitated towards India’s gold medallists, it is essential to acknowledge a few break through performances that hold substantial significance as we approach the Olympic year. The 2023 season stands as a remarkable success story for India, marked by a quantum leap in medals and moments of sheer brilliance propelling Indian athletes to the pinnacle of excellence.

Here are the top five breakthrough performances in athletics in 2023:

Kishore Kumar Jena

For a brief moment in the Asian Games, the unexpected occurred as Neeraj Chopra found himself trailing Kishore Kumar Jena, India’s second-best thrower and now an Asian Games silver medallist. Kishore’s impressive throw of 86.77m briefly took the lead, but Neeraj quickly reclaimed it with a remarkable 88.88m throw on his next attempt. Kishore, realizing the significance, again broke his record with a historic fourth throw of 87.54m – PB.

Although Kishore secured the silver and qualified for the Paris Olympics with his personal best, his feat during the live-broadcasted event thrust him into the national spotlight. This marks the second-best throw in Indian athletics history and the sixth-best in Asian records.

Vithya Ramraj

Vithya Ramraj matched PT Usha’s 39-year-old national record at the Asian Games by clocking 55.42 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles heats. Usha originally set the record at the Los Angeles Olympics, where she finished fourth in the 400m hurdles during the 1984 multi-sport event. Her time of 55.42 seconds was just one-hundredth of a second shy of claiming the bronze, making it a moment of agonizing closeness.

This record has stood as India’s second longest-running national record, with Shivnath Singh’s 1978 marathon record being the oldest in athletics.

HH Manikanta – 62nd National Open Athletics Championships

HH Manikanta, the promising sprinter from the Madras Engineer Group made a remarkable entry into the athletics scene at the 62nd National Open Athletics Championships. The 21-year-old, delivered a breathtaking performance in the men’s 100m semifinals by smashing the national record with an impressive time of 10.23 seconds.

This outstanding feat surpassed the previous record of 10.26 seconds set by Amiya Kumar Mallick in 2016. Odisha’s Mallick, coincidentally, competed in the heats alongside Manikanta and secured a fourth-place finish with a timing of 10.58 seconds. Manikanta, hailing from Udupi in Karnataka, brought confidence to this competition following his impressive 10.31-second run which won him the gold in the Services athletics meet earlier this year.

Having joined the Indian Army in 2020, Manikanta serves as a Sepoy in the esteemed Armed Forces.

Ancy Sojan

Despite her earlier promise, Ancy remained somewhat under the radar for a long time. In the lead-up to the Asian Games the spotlight was on junior athlete Shaili Singh who was anticipated to be the strongest Indian contender in the long jump. Shaili’s start to the year with a 6.76m jump – the second best in Indian history- and a silver at the Asian Athletics Championships rightfully placed her in the limelight ahead of Ancy.

Meanwhile, Ancy’s journey began with a 6.49m jump in March, gradually progressing to a personal best of 6.56m in May with a fourth-placed finish in Bangkok at Asian Athletics Championships. However, the Keralite delivered a groundbreaking performance by securing her first major medal with a well-deserved silver in the women’s long jump event at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Surpassing expectations, Ancy exceeded her personal best not once but twice and achieved a 6.56m in her third attempt and an even more impressive 6.63m in her fifth attempt.

Priti Lamba

Priti Lamba followed in her compatriot Parul Chaudhary’s footsteps at the Asian Games. While Parul Chaudhary secured the silver medal, Priti Lamba claimed bronze marking a historic achievement as it was the first time India won two medals in the same edition of steeplechase event for women.

Priti demonstrated her prowess by finishing a commendable 16 seconds behind Parul. Clocking a personal best of 9:43.32 seconds, Priti clinched the bronze in a closely contested race with Bahrain’s Mekonen Tigest Getent, who finished just narrowly behind with a time of 9:43.71 seconds.

Earlier this year, Priti overcame an injury setback to compete in the Federation Cup and clocked a time of 9:47.78s. Her performance not only secured victory but also marked the fourth-best timing for an India female athlete in this event.

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