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Athletics India

30-June-2026

Road to Nagoya: Who Makes the Cut?

With the curtains coming down on the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) now faces the task of selecting the country's athletics squad for the 2026 Asian Games. While the official team is yet to be announced, the Inter-State Championships were the final domestic qualification event, making performances in Bhubaneswar the biggest indicator of who is likely to wear the India jersey.

Ludhiana 2026: Where Commonwealth Dreams Met Administrative Failure

16-June-2026

The Indian Athletics Series–9, which was announced as another opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Commonwealth Games 2026 and, in some events, the U20 World Athletics Championships 2026, concluded at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab.

It was already known to be a hectic, single-day event and was expected to attract heavy participation because of the qualification significance it carried. Athletes arrived prepared to deliver world-class performances, as that is what is expected of them to qualify for some of the world’s premier competitions. But the organisers appeared to fail to understand that significance or perhaps someone failed to convey the importance of the meet to them.

As per the schedule, the competition was expected to begin at 5:30 a.m. with the 10,000m race walk and end with the discus.

The mismanagement, however, had begun a day earlier.

Usually, athletes collect their bibs (chest numbers) a day before competition to avoid unnecessary hassle on the day of the event. This time, they were instructed to collect them on the morning of the competition itself. Even then, the process could have been smooth had it been properly managed. Instead, it became a nightmare, according to athletes who spoke to us.

A support staff member who travelled with some of the athletes said in a subdued voice, clearly disappointed:

“It was a mess. National record holders and elite athletes were made to wait for long hours just to collect their bibs. Rather than finding a solution as time passed, the bib distributors — some inexperienced volunteers — threw all the bibs onto the ground, and athletes had to search for their own in a mountain of bibs.”

He further added:

“It was a scene hard to watch. Once the numbers got mixed up, it became very difficult for athletes to find their own.”

He spoke with disappointment, thanking God he had not brought some more elite athletes who were initially supposed to compete.

An elite coach spoke candidly:

“For viewers, organisers or volunteers, it’s just a bib — a piece of paper with a number written on it, used to identify athletes. But for an athlete, it is a feeling of competition. It is his identity. A bib always holds a special place in an athlete’s heart.”

The bib does hold a special place. In recent years, it has become common to see athletes posing with their bibs after victories, often writing messages on them after winning medals or breaking national records. It may seem insignificant to outsiders, but for athletes, it represents belief before competition and memories after it.

The chaos was evident even on the track. Our cameras captured an 800m athlete wearing two different bibs with similar numbers on the front and back.

The men’s 800m final began, and 2018 Asian U20 champion Anu R started strongly before collapsing in the final 100 metres. What came as a shock was that no immediate medical support arrived, as the medical team and ambulance were allegedly late. Athletes themselves rushed to help him after he collapsed on the track, reportedly suffering severe pain caused by a kidney stone. Later, fellow athletes carried him to the hospital.

A coach, who was watching the livestream from elsewhere, also called and said:

“Athletes travel to different states, paying hefty entry fees just to complete the federation’s mandatory competitions. If something had happened to him, who would be responsible? Everyone carries these worries in their hearts, but who do they talk to?”

Several athletes later came up and said, “These things should be reported. Whose fault is this? Athletes pay entry fees, but in return, they get nothing. Basic facilities like drinking water and clean toilets are sometimes missing from these national meets.”

AFI has already posted a circular on its website stating that if anything happens to athletes during competition, the federation is not responsible.

But the question remains: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

The 100m events, which featured more than ten finals and the highest participation numbers of the meet, were delayed due to technical faults not by a few minutes, but by nearly an hour.

Athletes who had already completed their warm-ups were left sitting beside the start line, continuing their exercises simply to keep their bodies warm ahead of the races they had travelled from across the country to compete in.

One athlete joked:

“Agar hum ek minute late ho jayein toh entry nahi milti. Yahan itna late ho raha hai inki wajah se, uska kuch nahi kar sakte.”

In the U20 men’s 3000m steeplechase, a qualifying event for the U20 World Championships, one athlete’s rhythm was broken when a women’s javelin thrower reportedly came into his path during the race.

One former athlete, whose younger brother was competing, messaged us:

“Sir, aap athlete ki awaaz ho. Sir, AFI athletes ke saath bahut galat kar rahi hai. Bas AFI ko paise se matlab hai, sir.”

Even the limited media personnel present at the stadium since morning had no charging ports available to them.

Then came one of the performances of the day.

Tejas Shirse broke the national record, clocking an outstanding 13.27 seconds to breach the Commonwealth Games qualification mark. After the race, he called fellow athletes over. Joined by India’s leading hurdlers, including Krishik M and Madhvendra, they collectively raised concerns with technical officials about the conditions and urged for better organisation at national-level competitions.

They pointed out that no hurdles had been made available for warm-ups. When they moved to the main field to warm up, they were disturbed by trespassers, with no officials present to stop them.

Tejas said, “Sir, this is a Commonwealth Games 2026 qualifier. We have come to Punjab. It is a request to provide these facilities.”

The chaos did not end there.

The shot put and discus events, which were scheduled to begin around 7 p.m., continued without adequate floodlights. Discus throwers could not properly see where their implements were landing after release. Volunteers responsible for measurements raised concerns, saying they were unable to spot the discus in the darkness.

The situation escalated further when officials struggled to conduct measurements accurately. The discus competition was halted after three rounds, with the top eight finalists instructed to return the following day to complete the event.

Another group of discus throwers, who had already begun warming up for their competition, were later informed that their event too had been postponed until the next day.

The athletes from this second group approached us while leaving the premises, frustration evident, but hope still in their eyes. They questioned how they were expected to recover, sleep and return to perform at their best after already consuming caffeine and completing their carefully planned pre-competition warm-up routines.

As per AFI’s website, the federation has an Athletes’ Commission comprising nine members, including Avinash Sable, Neeraj Chopra, Anju Bobby George and Sunita Rani. But who is listening to and finding solutions for athletes who continue to suffer at national competitions?

Ludhiana was supposed to be a stage where athletes chased Commonwealth Games dreams and U20 World Championship berths.

Indian athletics often asks its athletes to perform like professionals on the international stage. The least they can expect in return is an environment that treats them like professionals at home.

If national qualification meets cannot guarantee basic dignity, safety and organisation, the question is no longer whether athletes are resilient enough to overcome adversity.

The question is: why are they still being asked to?

20 Junior Athletes Achieve the World Athletics Qualification Standards

Indian Athletics Series 9 & 10, which served as the qualification competitions for the upcoming U20 World Athletics Championships 2026, were held ahead of the event scheduled from 5–9 August 2026 at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

The national federation, AFI, had specifically mentioned the events that would serve as qualifiers through both competitions. Indian Series 9 was designated as the qualifying event for the 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 3000m Steeplechase, Shot Put, Discus Throw, Hammer Throw, and Javelin Throw.

Meanwhile, Indian Series 10 served as the qualifier for the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 110mH/100mH, 400mH, High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, and Triple Jump.

Including both competitions, a total of 20 athletes managed to achieve or better the qualification standards set by World Athletics and published on its official website.

World U20 Qualification Standards Achieved at Indian Series 9 & 10

Men

Uwin Anand – 800m – 1:49.93 (PB)
Mogali Venkatram Reddy – 800m – 1:48.77
Basant – High Jump – 2.19m
Ambriesh K. – High Jump – 2.12m (PB)
Shahnavaz Khan – Long Jump – 8.17m
Jithin Arjunan R.C. – Long Jump – 8.12m (PB)
Sandeep Vinodkumar – 110m Hurdles – 13.63 (PB)
Fasalul Haque – 110m Hurdles – 13.76
Dharanidharan T. – Javelin Throw – 73.42m (PB)
Ashish Yadav – Javelin Throw – 72.27m
Nishchay – Discus Throw – 59.12m
Amit – 400m Hurdles – 51.58s
Sahil Raj – 400m Hurdles – 52.72s
Ranjith Kumar S. – 400m – 47.26s

Women

Pooja – High Jump – 1.81m
Nipam – 100m – 11.75s
Tanu Chaudhary – 400m Hurdles – 59.15s (PB)
Poonam – Javelin Throw – 52.16m (PB)
Thiya A.K. – 400m – 55.02s
Anshu – Shot Put – 15.92m

It should be noted that this is not the final team, as the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has revised the qualification standards published on its website.

Also, this list includes only the top two performers in each event. For example, in the men’s 110m hurdles and men’s javelin throw, multiple athletes achieved the qualification standards, but only the top two performers have been included here.

The final decision regarding team selection rests with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Tajinderpal Singh Toor: Chasing The 22m Barrier

Twilight had slipped away. Amidst the shadows, Tajinderpal Singh Toor rubbed magnesium carbonate on his palms – big, wide, powerful hands that looked like Sal tree leaves.

Toor needed to qualify for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and this was his final opportunity. His first throw of 19.98m served as a decent warmup. Then, as the light faded, his second attempt reached 20.29m. It was the spark he needed, though he still circled the throwing perimeter anxiously.

You see, Toor is a heavyweight of the sport. He set the National Record of 21.77m back in June 2023, but that elusive 22m barrier has been playing hard to get. Breaking it wouldn’t just make him the first Indian to cross the milestone; it would catapult him into the absolute elite tier of global shot put. Right now, the world standard sits a good meter away. To put that in perspective, the World Record stands at an astonishing 23.56m, set by America’s triple Olympic gold medallist Ryan Crouser.

Standing at 6’0”, Toor faces a massive physical disadvantage against the world’s giants. Ryan Crouser is 6’7”; Tom Walsh is 6’1”and Joe Kovacs is 6’0” but with a massive, intimidating bulk.

When you factor in wingspans, Toor has to work twice as hard. To compensate for his shorter stature, his release angle and height of release have to be absolutely flawless. A single degree of error can cost him half a meter. At a major international competition, that kind of deficit is simply too much to overcome.

Back at the Guru Nanak Stadium, the competition pressed on. Punjab’s Karamveer Singh managed a 19.21m on his second try, while Toor responded with a 20.18m on his third. The reigning Asian Games champion was slowly finding his rhythm, a relief after recently being pushed to second place at the National Federation Cup by Samardeep Singh Gill.

At 31, Toor is entering the twilight of an elite thrower’s career. While track athletes can still hunt for podiums past 34, shot put is uniquely unforgiving.

Toor’s rotational technique is flawless – a mesmerizing, fluid spin that transfers explosive power from his lower body straight into the iron ball. But that constant torque has exacted a heavy toll. Over the years, his throwing wrist and groin have repeatedly broken down, constantly forcing him back to square one.

Whenever Toor tries to push past the 21.50m mark, his circle management tends to collapse. To generate that world-class power, you have to ramp up the rotational speed, making it difficult to brake your momentum at the front edge of the circle. One tiny slip, and it’s a red flag.

The reality of the sport is stark. In Asia, Toor is undisputed royalty. But in the West, throwing 21m barely gets a nod. You only enter the conversation at 22m. Because Toor completely dominates the domestic and continental circuit, it has, one can argue, led to a tactical plateau. He simply hasn’t been pushed hard enough at home.

Yet, none of that mattered in the gloom of the stadium. Squinting through the darkness, relying purely on muscle memory, Toor stepped up for his sixth and final throw with his Commonwealth Games spot on the line.

He launched a massive heave: 20.72m.

With the qualification standard set at 20.36m, he had done it. He turned to the small, passionate pack of fans cheering in the stands, acknowledged them, and knelt on the turf in a quiet moment of gratitude.

“I came here thinking that I would do well,” Toor admitted while pausing for selfies with fans. “Right now, I haven’t completely freed my body; I’m still training under heavy load. The circle was also a little slippery, which spoiled a couple of my attempts. I was aiming for a 21-plus throw, but otherwise, it was fine.”

Characteristically, he stayed clear of any drama regarding the lack of floodlights for the throwing events. “For shot putters, the light was enough,” he smiled. “The arrangements were good. They actually moved us from the afternoon heat to a 7:30 PM evening slot, which helped.”

Now, his eyes are firmly fixed on Glasgow. “That is my target. I am praying that, God willing, there should be a new national and Asian record. The rest is in God’s hands. A person alone cannot do anything.”

Toor is undeniably India’s greatest-ever shot putter. But to transition from the king of Asia to a genuine global medal contender, Glasgow demands something bigger. The puzzle isn’t his raw strength, it’s staying injury-free and perfecting the physics of his release. Here’s hoping he finds that perfect spin and becomes the first Indian to clear 22m.