Top five Indian athletes to watch at 1st Indian Open 2025 World Athletics meet

The event will be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

The 1st Indian Open 2025, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meet, is slated to take place on Sunday (August 10) at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. It will be the first-ever World Athletics Bronze Level event hosted by India.

This one-day affair will witness the participation of 225 athletes from 17 countries, including 90+ from India. Many athletes will have a golden chance of securing crucial C-category ranking points to qualify for the 2025 Tokyo World Championships.

Although Neeraj Chopra and the injured Avinash Sable will not be participating, the tournament will have the presence of major track and field stars from the country.

17 medal events—nine in the men’s category and eight in the women’s category will be played at the 1st Indian Open 2025. On that note, let’s take a look at the top Indian athletes to watch out for in the tournament.

Also Read: 1st Indian Open 2025: Full schedule, fixtures, Indian contingent, live streaming details

Indian athletes to watch at 1st Indian Open 2025

#5 Yashvir Singh – Javelin throw

One of the rising stars, Yashvir Singh, is coming into this tournament after a gold medal finish at the India Grand Prix 3 with his throw of 77.79m. He also had first-place finishes at the G. Arzumanov Memorial (78.32m) and the Indian Open Athletics 2025 (77.49m).

Yashvir’s season-best throw of 82.57m came at the Asian Athletics Championships, where he finished fifth.

Currently, Yashvir is at the 30th spot in the Road to Tokyo World Championships rankings, with 36 spots up for grabs. A podium finish will help him guarantee a place in the World Athletics Championships 2025.

#4 Shaili Singh – Long jump

Shaili Singh has secured seven podium finishes in 2025, with two of them being in first place. In particular, Shaili returned with a jump of 6.64m in the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition 2025. Her performance fell 0.22m shy of achieving the Tokyo Olympics qualification standard (6.86m).

Shaili is currently positioned 61st in the Road to Tokyo rankings. The talented jumper will look to deliver a standout performance and earn ranking points to enter the top 36 and qualify for the global event.

Also Read: Top five foreign athletes to watch in 1st Indian Open 2025, Bhubaneswar

#3 Annu Rani – Javelin throw

The veteran athlete, Annu Rani, will be one of the brightest hopes for the Indian contingent. She has finished first in five out of six events this year.

Recently, Annu clinched a gold medal at the International Wiesław Maniak Memorial with her throw of 62.59m, which was her season-best. Meanwhile, the qualification standard for the Athletics Championship is 64m.

Annu Rani is at the 30th spot in the Road to Tokyo rankings and a good enough throw can help her gain additional points.

#2 Murali Sreeshankar – Long jump

Murali Sreeshankar has participated in three events in 2025 after recovering from injury. Interestingly, he has emerged as the winner in all of them.

The Indian Open Athletics Meeting in July saw Sreeshankar deliver his season-best jump of 8.05m. Meanwhile, the Tokyo Olympics qualification standard is set at 8.27m.

Due to not meeting the eligibility criteria by participating in a minimum of five events, Murali Sreeshankar has not yet found a place in the Tokyo rankings.

However, he will look to produce his best at the Indian Open in Bhubaneswar and the Inter-State meet in Chennai to punch his ticket to the prestigious event.

#1 Animesh Kujur – 100m and 200m

Animesh Kujur has grabbed the headlines with his exceptional performances in 2025. Notably, Kujur is set to compete in the men’s 100m and 200m events, in which he has set national records this year.

The star sprinter clocked 10.18s at the Dromia International Sprint & Relays Meeting to break national records in the 100m. Meanwhile, he achieved a similar feat in 200m with a timing of 20.32s at the Asian Athletics Championships.

Also Read: Top five all-time fastest Indian athletes in men’s 100m

Kujur is currently at the 42nd position in the men’s 200m Road to Tokyo rankings. With 48 spots available, he is expected to find a place in the global competition. Meanwhile, he will need a strong finish in the men’s 100m event to stake his claim to participate in the World Athletics Championships.

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