National Open Athletics Championships 2026 Day 1 Wrap: Kuldeep Kumar smashes meet record to win pole vault gold
(Courtesy : @kuldeepyadav_6.00m/Instagram)
Shaili Singh won bronze on triple jump debut
The 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026 got underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, with seven finals deciding the first set of champions.
Asha Ilango, Giridharani Ravikumar and Nirbhay Chaudhary were among the standout winners on Day 1, while Kuldeep Kumar, Seema, Shampa Gain and Shivaji Madappa also secured gold medals.
The opening day also featured heats and semi-finals in the sprint events, while the men’s decathlon began with its first five disciplines.
Asha Ilango wins women’s triple jump gold
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Asha Ilango produced one of the best performances of the opening day, winning the women’s triple jump with a best effort of 13.89m.
Shairabi Roy took silver with 13.36m, while Shaili Singh secured bronze with 13.31m. Aleena T Saji also recorded 13.31m but finished fourth on countback.
Shaili’s bronze adds another podium finish for the young jumper after her performances on the international stage earlier this year.
Giridharani Ravikumar claims women’s 100m title
Giridharani Ravikumar emerged victorious in the women’s 100m final, clocking 11.48 seconds.Srabani Nanda finished second in 11.55s, while Priyanka Sikarwar took bronze in 11.59s.
Giridharani had already looked impressive in the preliminary round, winning her heat in 11.58s before producing an even faster performance in the final.
V Sudheeksha finished fourth in 11.70s, followed by Mousumi Roy Uttam Roy, Charu Shoukeen and Avantika Narale.
Seema dominates women’s discus throw
Seema produced a winning throw of 57.63m to claim the women’s discus throw gold medal. Nikita Kumari secured silver with 52.48m, while Sanya Yadav finished third with 52.45m, just three centimetres behind her.
Sunita finished fourth with 50.87m, while Bhavana Yadav and Pramila completed the top six.
Nirbhay Chaudhary tops men’s hammer throw
Nirbhay Chaudhary won the men’s hammer throw with an effort of 69.42m. Praveen Kumar finished second with 67.73m, while Ashish Jakhar secured bronze with 66.86m. Mohammad Shahban was fourth with 66.12m, followed by Mukul and Devang.
Kuldeep Kumar takes men’s pole vault gold
Kuldeep Kumar cleared 5.30m to win the men’s pole vault title. Reegan G finished second with 5.25m, while Rambeer took bronze after clearing 5.10m.
Ramratan, M. Gowtham and Tanuj Kumar all managed 4.90m but could not break into the medal positions.
Shampa Gain wins women’s 5000m
Shampa Gain emerged victorious in the women’s 5000m final after clocking 16:54.56. Sonam Parmar finished second in 16:56.52, while Mori Vandana Bharat claimed bronze in 16:56.62.
The race remained closely contested, with Ravina Gayakwad finishing fourth in 16:59.39, less than five seconds behind the winner.
Shivaji Madappa claims men’s 10,000m gold
Shivaji Madappa won the men’s 10,000m final with a timing of 30:30.54. Gaurav Mathur finished second in 30:36.33, while Vinod Singh took bronze in 30:37.13.
Abhishek Pal narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in 30:38.54, with Lovepreet Singh fifth and Monu Kumar sixth.
Sprinters set up exciting Day 2
The women’s 400m semi-finals produced an intriguing battle ahead of Friday’s final. Nitisha recorded the fastest time of the semi-finals, winning her heat in 53.80s.
Priya Thakur finished second in that heat in 54.05s, while Anankha BA clocked 54.12s. In the second semifinal, Priya Mohan was fastest in 54.06s, followed by Manisha in 54.33s and Nofisa Khatun in 54.71s.
The men’s 400m competition also saw Vikrant Panchal produce the fastest opening round time of 45.88s. Akash Raj followed with 46.41s, while Ajay D and Mijo Kunan clocked 46.56s and 46.66s respectively.
In the men’s 100m, Manikanta Hoblidhar was the fastest semifinalist, clocking 10.30s. Laukik Melge followed with 10.36s, while Lalu Prasad Bhoi and Harjit both recorded 10.38s.
Decathlon begins as Jinoy Jayan makes early mark
The men’s decathlon also began on Day 1, with athletes completing the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m.
Jinoy Jayan was among the leading performers, recording the best long jump of 7.25m. He also clocked 10.70s in the 100m, cleared 1.92m in the high jump and completed the 400m in 48.44s.
In the men’s discus throw qualification, Nirbhay Singh led Group A with 53.86m, while Abhimanyu topped Group B with 52.94m. The final will take place on Day 2.
What to expect on Day 2?
Friday will be another packed day at the National Open Athletics Championships, with 14 finals scheduled across the morning and evening sessions. The official AFI schedule lists the men’s and women’s half marathon race walks as the first two finals, followed by the evening programme.
The evening session will feature the women’s and men’s 400m finals, women’s shot put, men’s triple jump, men’s 100m, men’s discus throw, men’s 110m hurdles, women’s 100m hurdles, women’s and men’s 1500m finals and the mixed 4x100m relay. The decathlon will also conclude with the javelin throw and 1500m.
The men’s 100m final will be one of the biggest attractions after Manikanta Hoblidhar’s 10.30s semifinal, with Laukik Melge, Lalu Prasad Bhoi and Harjit also making strong impressions.
The women’s 400m final is similarly poised after Nitisha and Priya Mohan emerged as the fastest semifinalists.
With seven champions already crowned on the opening day, the championships now head into a busier second day, with 14 finals scheduled as the national title battles continue in Delhi.
Who were the biggest winners on Day 1 of the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026?
Kuldeep Kumar clinched gold in the men’s pole vault event with a new meet record, while Asha Ilango won the women’s triple jump ahead of Shaili Singh. Seema Kaliramna won gold in the women’s discus throw event.
What to expect on Day 2 of the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026?
As many as 14 finals are scheduled to take place on Day 2 of the championships. The day will feature the women’s and men’s 400m finals, women’s shot put, men’s triple jump, men’s 100m, men’s discus throw, men’s 110m hurdles, women’s 100m hurdles, women’s and men’s 1500m finals and the mixed 4x100m relay. The decathlon will also conclude with the javelin throw and 1500m. The men’s 100m final will be one of the biggest attractions after Manikanta Hoblidhar’s 10.30s semifinal, with Laukik Melge, Lalu Prasad Bhoi and Harjit also making strong impressions. The women’s 400m final is similarly poised after Nitisha and Priya Mohan emerged as the fastest semifinalists.
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