Rohit Yadav wins javelin gold, signals arrival
Rohit Yadav emerged from the shadows of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra by winning the men's javelin throw gold at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships on 28 June 2026. The 24-year-old threw a personal best of 86.45m to claim the title, marking his first major national victory.
According to Athletics Federation of India officials, Yadav's performance is the third-best by an Indian this season, behind only Chopra's 89.30m and 88.07m. Yadav said, "I have trained hard to reach this level. Competing against Neeraj bhai has pushed me to improve."
Long jump stars shine with Asian Games qualification
The men's long jump event produced impressive results as favourite Murali Sreeshankar soared to an Asian season's best of 8.38m. Shahnavaz Khan followed with an 8.30m leap, and both athletes secured qualification for the Asian Games.
Sreeshankar, who had already achieved the automatic qualifying mark earlier this season, used the competition to fine-tune his technique. "I am happy with the consistency. The 8.38m gives me confidence for the Asian Games," he said.
Shahnavaz Khan, 23, recorded his second-best jump ever. "Qualifying for the Asian Games is a dream come true. I want to thank my coaches for their support," he said.
Other notable performances on Day 1
In women's events, shot putter Manpreet Kaur won gold with a throw of 18.12m, while discus thrower Seema Punia took gold with 63.45m. The 100m heats saw Dutee Chand clock 11.23 seconds to advance.
The championships, held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, serve as the final selection trial for the Asian Games. Over 800 athletes are competing across three days.
