The fourth leg of the Indian Athletics Series will be held at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium on April 12 (Sunday).
While the field may not feature many big names, there are still several athletes whose performances make this competition worth watching.
1) ANCY SOJAN (Women’s Long Jump)
India’s third-best long jumper began her 2026 season on a strong note, winning bronze at the Asian Indoor Championships, her third major international medal.
She followed it up with a win at the Indian Athletics Series – 2 in Bengaluru, where she registered a best jump of 6.54m.
Ancy has already breached the Asian Games qualification mark, but the Commonwealth Games 2026 standard stands at 6.84m even higher than Anju Bobby George’s national record of 6.83m. The big question remains: can she surpass it this season?
2) RUCHIT MORI (Men’s 400m Hurdles)
Ruchit Mori opened his 2026 season last week at the Indian Athletics Series – 2, although he competed in the 400m flat instead of his main event.
He made a remarkable comeback last year after a three-year injury layoff, delivering consistent performances:
51.10s – Inter-University Meet
Gold (PB 50.97s) – National Games
Bronze – Federation Cup
50.58s (PB) – World University Games
Gold (49.76s PB) – Inter-State Championships
Gold – National Open Championships
Gold – South Asian Championships
Last season, Mori and Yashas Palaksha were the only Indians to break the 50-second barrier, raising expectations for even faster times this year.
3) VITHYA RAMRAJ (Women’s 400m Hurdles)
Asian Championships medalist Vithya Ramraj will once again aim to break the national record.
At the 2023 Asian Games heats, she clocked 55.42s to equal P. T. Usha’s long-standing record. However, she hasn’t come close to that mark since and hasn’t dipped below 56 seconds again.
She opened her 2026 season with a 57.10s performance. Is the pressure of breaking the national record affecting her timings?
4) YASHAS PALAKSHA (Men’s 400m Hurdles)
India’s second-fastest 400m hurdler, Yashas Palaksha, will begin his 2026 season at this meet.
Returning from injury last season, he missed the Asian Championships 2025 qualification but still clocked a personal best of 49.22s at the Taiwan Athletics Open.
He also secured medals at the Federation Cup and Indian Open Athletics Meet, consistently improving, including a 49.32s PB at the Federation Cup before bettering it in Taiwan.
5). PRATIK MAHARANA (MEN’S 100M):
Odisha’s rising sprint star Pratik Maharana is set to open his 2026 season in Ranchi.
Last year, he delivered a standout performance at the National Junior Athletics Championships:
Won gold in the U-20 200m (21.24s)
Broke the meet record (21.26s)
Set a new personal best
Qualified for the World U-20 Championships
He later clinched gold at the South Asian Athletics Championships with a time of 21.44s.
All eyes will be on him as he looks to kick off the new season in style.