An exciting week for Indian athletics as the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships begin tomorrow at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar (Odisha), from June 24-28, 2026.
The five-day Category ‘B’ competition is a qualification event for the 2026 Asian Games. Athletes from across the country have travelled to Bhubaneswar in a bid to punch their tickets to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Around 700 athletes will be in action over five days at Kalinga Stadium. Here, NNIS Sports presents the event-wise athletes and rivalries to look out for.
100m
After Gurindervir Singh’s iconic 10.09s run, which shattered the Indian national record, the men’s 100m has become a fan favourite. Although India’s fastest man will be missing this competition, there are still plenty of names capable of delivering a thrilling contest.
Animesh Kujur: India’s all-time second-fastest man and one of Gurindervir’s biggest rivals, Animesh Kujur will compete in both the 100m and 200m at his home ground, Kalinga Stadium. At the Federation Cup, Gurindervir first broke the national record in the semifinals before Animesh snatched the title minutes later, clocking a lifetime best 10.15s to become India’s second-fastest man ever. Although Gurindervir reclaimed the title of India’s fastest man later, Animesh will now be looking to reclaim the spotlight in front of his home crowd.
Manikanta H: India’s most consistent 100m sprinter and a former national record holder, Manikanta is making his comeback after an injury early in the season. His lifetime best of 10.19s makes him India’s third-fastest man ever. He will be targeting the Asian Games qualification mark of 10.16s.
Other names to watch include last year’s Federation Cup champion Pranav Gurav (10.27s), reigning Interstate champion Tamil Arasu S (10.22s PB), along with Nuzrat, Harjit, Lalu Bhoi and Ragul Kumar.
400m
The field is packed with elite quarter-milers aiming for Asian Games qualification and a place in India’s 4x400m relay squad.
Vishal T K: India’s first and only sub-45-second runner, Vishal stunned the athletics fraternity at the Federation Cup by clocking 44.98s and becoming the first Indian to break the 45-second barrier. While the Asian Games qualification mark of 45.97s looks achievable, the quality of the field could push him towards another national record or at least another sub-45 performance.
Rajesh Ramesh: One of India’s most consistent quarter-milers, Rajesh remains best remembered for his heroic anchor leg at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. At the Federation Cup, while Vishal grabbed the headlines, Rajesh’s frustration was visible after the race. This season, he has already clocked a personal best of 45.26s and will be looking to improve further. Can he become the next Indian to go sub-45? The rivalry between Vishal and Rajesh could elevate Indian 400m standards even further.
Other athletes to watch include Dharamveer Choudhary, who has posted multiple personal bests this season, Vikrant Panchal, Manu T S, Barath S, and Theerthesh Shetty.
110m Hurdles
Tejas Shirse recently proved once again why he is India’s hurdle king, lowering the national record to 13.27s. However, there are challengers ready to push him.
Krishik M: The 22-year-old has often pushed Tejas in recent competitions and has improved to a massive lifetime best of 13.44s this season, making him India’s second-fastest hurdler ever. He will be looking to challenge the national record holder once again at India’s premier domestic athletics competition.
Other athletes to watch include Madhvendra Shekhawat, Manav R and Muhammed Lazan. The Asian Games qualification standard stands at 13.63s.
400m Hurdles
This is one event not to be missed, with India’s top three hurdlers — Santhosh T, Yashas Palaksha and Jabir M — set to clash.
At Indian Series-6, all three athletes went sub-50 seconds in the same competition for the first time. At the Federation Cup, Yashas stunned Santhosh by clocking 49.00s to win the title and register India’s second-fastest time ever. Santhosh followed closely with 49.06s, now India’s third-fastest time ever.
Can either athlete finally dip below 49 seconds? With the national record of 48.80s held by Dharun Ayyasamy, the mark could be under serious threat.
High Jump
Sarvesh Kushare and Aadarsh Ram will once again renew their rivalry.
Sarvesh cleared 2.28m last season, India’s second-highest clearance ever, and finished sixth at the 2025 World Championships. This season, Aadarsh responded with a 2.27m jump, making him India’s third-best performer of all time.
Can either athlete challenge the national record of 2.29m? Based on current form, it certainly looks possible.
Pole Vault
A year ago, few would have believed India could have Asian Games contenders in men’s pole vault. This season, that has changed.
Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar have taken Indian pole vaulting to a new level.
Dev matched his lifetime best of 5.40m early in the season before Kuldeep cleared 5.41m at the Indoor Nationals to set a new national record. Dev responded by clearing 5.45m at the Federation Cup, only for Kuldeep to match the same height later. Both now jointly hold the national record at 5.45m — a height that also meets the Asian Games qualification standard.
Notably, no Indian male pole vaulter has ever qualified for the Asian Games through such standards before. Can they do it again at the Interstate Championships and perhaps raise the national record further?
Another athlete to watch is Reegan Ganesh, who has cleared 5.35m this season, India’s third-best performance ever.
Long Jump
Five Indian athletes have already breached the 8m mark this season, including two first-time achievers, making this arguably the most competitive long jump field in Interstate history.
All five — Murali Sreeshankar (8.15m SB), Shahnavaz Khan (8.23m), David P (8.22m), Lokesh Sathyanathan (8.21m), and Jithin R C (8.12m) — will be in action.
Adding further excitement is national record holder Jeswin Aldrin (8.41m), along with other contenders such as Mohd Sazid, Sunny and Purushotham.
Javelin Throw
One of India’s most anticipated events is set to deliver another exciting battle.
The field includes Rohit Yadav, who recently registered a lifetime best of 83.76m, Yashvir Singh (82.93m PB), Shivam Lohakare (81.71m PB) and Arshdeep Singh (80.15m PB) this season.
With several athletes in career-best form and Asian Games qualification on the line, the men’s javelin competition promises to be one of the highlights of the championships.