Arjun Waskale won the men’s 1500m title in a thrilling finish, while Ankita Dhyani led a Railways clean sweep in the women’s 1500m at the National Open Athletics Championships 2026.
Railways’ Waskale clocked 3:43.04 to claim gold in a race where just 0.10 seconds separated the top three finishers. Fellow Railways athlete Shivam Sharma took silver in 3:43.12, while SSCB’s Rahul Baloda secured bronze in 3:43.14.
In the women’s event, Ankita Dhyani delivered a commanding performance to win gold in 4:13.18, leading Railways to all three podium places. Lili Das finished second, while Komal completed the clean sweep in third.
Arjun Waskale Edges Shivam Sharma in Men’s 1500m
Railways’ Arjun Waskale claimed the men’s 1500m gold in 3:43.04 after a closely contested race at the National Open Athletics Championships 2026.
Waskale held off fellow Railways runner Shivam Sharma, who finished second in 3:43.12. The difference between the two athletes was just 0.08 seconds, making the battle for gold extremely tight.
SSCB’s Rahul Baloda finished third in 3:43.14, only 0.02 seconds behind Sharma. The top three were separated by just one-tenth of a second, highlighting the intensity of the contest.
The result also gave Railways two places on the men’s 1500m podium, with Waskale and Sharma finishing first and second respectively.
Men’s 1500m Final Results
| Position | Athlete | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Arjun Waskale | Railways | 3:43.04 |
| Silver | Shivam Sharma | Railways | 3:43.12 |
| Bronze | Rahul Baloda | SSCB | 3:43.14 |
Ankita Dhyani Leads Railways’ Women’s 1500m Clean Sweep
Ankita Dhyani won the women’s 1500m title in 4:13.18, leading Railways to a clean sweep of the medals at the National Open Athletics Championships 2026.
Dhyani finished comfortably ahead of her teammates to secure gold. Lili Das took silver in 4:19.05, while Komal completed the podium in 4:22.67.
The result underlined Railways’ strength in the women’s middle-distance event, with all three medallists representing the same team.
Dhyani’s winning time of 4:13.18 put her more than five seconds ahead of Lili Das, while Komal finished third to complete the all-Railways podium.
Women’s 1500m Final Results
| Position | Athlete | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Ankita Dhyani | Railways | 4:13.18 |
| Silver | Lili Das | Railways | 4:19.05 |
| Bronze | Komal | Railways | 4:22.67 |
Railways Continues Strong Showing in Middle-Distance Events
The women’s 1500m clean sweep marked Railways’ second women’s podium sweep of the day, following its clean sweep in the half-marathon race walk earlier in the morning.
Railways also secured two of the three medals in the men’s 1500m, with Waskale winning gold and Sharma taking silver.
The results highlighted the team’s depth across the middle-distance events at the National Open Athletics Championships 2026. While Waskale prevailed in one of the closest finishes of the competition, Dhyani led a dominant team performance to secure the women’s title and complete Railways’ sweep of the podium.