Background
Srabani Nanda was born in Phulbani, Odisha, on May 7, 1991, and came into athletics through sprinting before specialising in the 100m and 200m. She studied at Ramadevi Women’s College in Bhubaneswar and later pursued an MBA at North Odisha University. She trained under Nila Madhab Deo, Sharon Hannan, Tarun Shaw and Stiphen Fransis. Nanda represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics and remains one of India’s most experienced active sprinters.
Breakthrough and records
Her breakthrough came at the South Asian Games in Guwahati in 2016, where she ran 23.07 seconds in the 200m — winning gold and securing qualification for the Rio Olympics. She also won bronze in the 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, where the Indian quartet ran 45.25 seconds — her first major senior international medal. Nanda later represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics and remains one of the country’s most experienced sprinters, with personal bests of 11.36 seconds in the 100m and 23.07 seconds in the 200m.
Current season
Phulbani, OdisThe 2026 season has marked another campaign on the domestic sprint circuit, with the veteran continuing to compete across the 100m and 200m. She was included in the Indian Athletics Final Series field in New Delhi, where she raced alongside the country’s leading sprinters. The season has also seen her remain part of India’s relay pool. She is now preparing for the sprint programme at the Asian Games in September.ha
In their own words
“It’s getting tougher and tougher but I won’t give up.” — Srabani Nanda, speaking to NNIS Sports, June 2026, after helping India win gold in the women’s 4x100m relay at the Asian Relays. The quartet clocked a season-best 43.85s, improving on the 43.86s that won them silver at the previous edition.
