Haryana’s Pooja is on the verge of a memorable performance at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2026, leading the women’s heptathlon standings with 4,766 points after the completion of six events.
The all-rounder has enjoyed an outstanding competition so far, delivering consistent performances across multiple disciplines while registering four personal bests during the first six events. Her impressive display has placed her at the top of the leaderboard heading into the decisive 800m, the final event of the heptathlon.
Pooja began her campaign with a 14.48s run in the 100m hurdles, earning 912 points, before clearing 1.73m in the high jump to add 891 points. She continued her strong run with a personal best of 11.61m in the shot put, collecting 635 points.
Her momentum carried into the track events, where she clocked a personal best of 26.15s in the 200m for 784 points. In the long jump, another lifetime best of 5.78m earned her 783 points, while she concluded the sixth event with yet another personal best in the javelin throw, recording 44.88m to collect 761 points.
With four personal bests already achieved during the competition, Pooja has demonstrated remarkable consistency and composure under pressure. Her performances across the six disciplines have positioned her within reach of a major milestone.
The focus now shifts to the concluding 800m, where she will need a performance close to her personal best of 2:18.58 to reach the Asian Games qualification standard of 5,605 points. The final race will determine whether her exceptional all-round effort translates into a place at the continental event.
Having already produced one of the finest competitions of her career, Pooja now stands just one race away from potentially securing Asian Games qualification. All eyes will be on the 800m as she looks to complete an outstanding heptathlon campaign with one final big performance.