Railways emerged as the overall champions at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships 2026, winning 49 medals — 22 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze — at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The four-day competition followed the Asian Games, so several elite athletes were expected to miss the event. Nevertheless, the championships delivered several encouraging performances, personal bests and meet records.

Across 48 finals, athletes produced notable results in sprinting, distance running, hurdles, jumps, throws and race walking. Here are some of the standout performances from the championships.

Asha Ilango Matches Lifetime Best as Shaili Singh Shines in Triple Jump Debut

Tamil Nadu’s Asha Ilango won the women’s triple jump gold with a leap of 13.89m. The Asian Games fourth-place finisher matched her lifetime best and set a new meet record.

Meanwhile, Shaili Singh made an impressive debut in the event, claiming bronze with 13.31m. That performance moved her to 19th on India’s all-time list and made her the country’s fourth-best triple jumper this season.

Railways Sweep Women’s 20km Race Walk Podium as Bhawana Jat Returns

Railways secured all three medals in the women’s 20km race walk. Mokavi won gold in 1:45:39, followed by Munita Prajapati in 1:45:43 and Bhawana Jat in 1:46:47.

The competition also marked Bhawana’s return after nearly three years away from competition. Her previous competition came in 2023, before a suspension following a whereabouts failure.

Kuldeep Yadav Sets Meet Record in Pole Vault

Kuldeep Yadav won the men’s pole vault title after clearing 5.30m to establish a new meet record.

Reegan G also surpassed the previous mark, clearing 5.25m to take silver. Meanwhile, Rambeer completed the podium with a lifetime best of 5.10m.

Moumita Mondal Wins 100m Hurdles Gold on Return from Injury

Moumita Mondal returned from an injury layoff to win the women’s 100m hurdles title in 13.48 seconds.

Her victory marked a successful return to competition and added another highlight to the championships.

Anjli Breaks 54-Second Barrier to Win Women’s 400m

Twenty-one-year-old Anjli won the women’s 400m title in a lifetime best of 53.37 seconds.

She improved on her previous best of 54.05 seconds, recorded at the 2025 All India University Championships. In the final, Anjli beat Karnataka’s Priya Mohan and heat leader Nitisha to secure gold.

Akash Raj Wins Men’s 400m Gold

Akash Raj claimed the men’s 400m title in a lifetime best of 46.24 seconds.

Vikrant Panchal, who had recorded the fastest time in the heats, finished a narrow second. Just 0.02 seconds separated the two athletes at the finish.

Manikanta Retains Men’s 100m Title

Manikanta returned from injury to win the men’s 100m gold in 10.25 seconds.

With this victory, he retained his title and finished the championships as the fastest man in the event.

Shampa Gain Completes Distance Double with Two Lifetime Bests

West Bengal’s Shampa Gain won the women’s 10,000m title in a lifetime best of 35:33.90.

It was her second gold medal of the championships, following her victory in the women’s 5,000m. Two titles and two lifetime bests made it a memorable competition for the distance runner.

Baranica Elangovan Leads Women’s Pole Vault with 4.10m

Railways’ Baranica Elangovan won the women’s pole vault title with a clearance of 4.10m. She was the only athlete to clear four metres.

Her Railways teammate Mariya Jaison took silver with 3.90m. Meanwhile, four athletes shared bronze after clearing 3.80m on their first attempts.

Anushka Yadav Breaks Meet Record in Women’s Hammer Throw

Anushka Yadav won the women’s hammer throw title with a best effort of 66.53m, breaking the meet record.

Her performance added another record-breaking result to the championships.

Railways’ Rohit Sets High Jump Lifetime Best

Railways’ Rohit won the men’s high jump title with a lifetime best of 2.19m.

His teammate Jesse Sandesh secured silver with 2.16m, while Madhya Pradesh’s Aaditya took bronze at the same height.

Jishnu Prasad Goes Sub-21 Seconds to Win 200m Gold

All India Police’s Jishnu Prasad won the men’s 200m title in a lifetime best of 20.62 seconds.

He broke the 21-second barrier for the first time this season, recording his fifth sub-21-second performance.

Railways’ Abhin also set a personal best of 20.91 seconds to claim silver. Rajasthan’s Adesh finished third in 20.96 seconds.

Mogali Venkatram Wins 800m Gold as National Record Holder Afsal Fails to Finish

Mogali Venkatram, India’s 2025 Junior National Champion, won the men’s 800m title in a lifetime best of 1:47.01.

SSCB’s Aman Kumar secured silver in 1:47.33, while Delhi’s Anant Kumar claimed bronze in 1:48.03. However, national record holder Mohd. Afsal did not finish the race.

Murad Sirman Breaks the 50-Second Barrier in 400m Hurdles

SSCB’s Murad Sirman won the men’s 400m hurdles title in a lifetime best of 49.86 seconds.

He crossed the finish line under 50 seconds for the first time in his career. His SSCB teammate Shakti Singh took silver in 50.13 seconds, while Karnataka’s Aryan won bronze in 50.83 seconds.

Aditya Adds Nearly Three Metres to Personal Best in Javelin

Nineteen-year-old Aditya won the men’s javelin throw title with a lifetime best of 79.40m.

The Haryana athlete improved his previous personal best by almost three metres to secure gold.

Ankita Dhyani Breaks Lalita Babar’s Meet Record

Railways’ Ankita Dhyani won the women’s 3,000m steeplechase in 9:34.86, breaking Lalita Babar’s 11-year-old meet record.

She also won the women’s 1,500m title, completing an impressive distance double at the championships.

Mubassina Mohammed Shines in Long Jump and Heptathlon

Mubassina Mohammed competed in both the women’s long jump and heptathlon over two busy days. The heptathlon alone comprises seven events, while the long jump added another discipline to her programme.

She won long jump gold with 6.38m, edging out Shaili Singh. Mubassina also claimed bronze in the heptathlon with 5,265 points.

The 2022 U18 Asian Athletics Championships silver medallist recorded personal bests in two track events as well: 24.98 seconds in the 200m and 14.58 seconds in the 100m hurdles.

Additionally, Mubassina holds India’s third-best women’s long jump performance of the season, with a mark of 6.53m.

Railways Lead a Championship Full of Standout Performances

Railways finished atop the overall medal standings with 49 medals, including 22 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.

The championships also featured meet records from Asha Ilango, Kuldeep Yadav and Anushka Yadav, alongside lifetime-best performances from athletes such as Anjli, Akash Raj, Shampa Gain, Jishnu Prasad, Mogali Venkatram, Murad Sirman and Aditya.

From record-breaking field events to closely contested track finals, the 65th National Open Athletics Championships provided several performances to remember.