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Athletics India

14-July-2026

India Finishes 4th at Inaugural U23 Asian Athletics: A Solid Foundation with Strategic Lessons

India’s U23 athletics squad delivered a commendable performance at the inaugural U23 Asian Athletics Championships 2026 in Ordos, China, finishing fourth in the final medal standings. Over the intensive four-day competition, the Indian contingent secured a total of 16 medals -comprising 3 Gold, 4 Silver, and 9 Bronze.

Indian Athletes to Watch at the Inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships 2026

07-July-2026

A new chapter in Asian athletics begins this week as the inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships get underway in Ordos, China, from 9–12 July 2026.

Created to bridge the gap between junior and senior international competition, the championship offers Asia’s top under-23 athletes a crucial platform to test themselves against the continent’s best. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has shortlisted a 54-member squad for the continental meet.

Here is NNIS Sports’ list of Indian athletes to watch:

1) Dev Meena & Kuldeep Kumar (Pole Vault):
The Indian pole vault duo has been named for the U23 continental meet, and both are in red-hot form this season. Kuldeep has bettered India’s national record twice this season, while Dev has improved it five times since last season, taking it to 5.46m, which he cleared at the Federation Cup. They will face stiff competition from:

Top competitors (Season Best):

UAE’s Seifeldin ABDELSALAM – 5.70m
Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Han WU – 5.51m
China’s Liang ZENG – 5.50m
Japan’s Naoya INOUE – 5.50m

2) Shivam Lohakare & Anand Singh (Javelin Throw):
Asian javelin throwers have been making waves on the world stage, and now the U23 athletes will compete at the continental level for the first time. India’s Shivam Lohakare and Anand Singh will lead the charge. Lohakare has enjoyed an excellent season and, based on current U23 performances in Asia, looks like the favourite for gold as he is currently the only U23 javelin thrower in Asia to have crossed the 80m mark this season.

Top challengers (Season Best):

South Korea’s Junseok JEONG – 78.76m
Uzbekistan’s Asadbek MURODOV – 78.15m
India’s Anand Singh – 77.68m
China’s Xiaobo WANG – 76.89m

3) Mohammed Muhassin (Triple Jump):
The 2025 National Games bronze medallist has been named in the squad. Muhassin registered his lifetime best jump of 16.26m at the Federation Cup this season, where he finished fourth, missing the podium by a whisker. This will be a great opportunity for the youngster. He will face tough competition from:

Top competitors (Season Best):

China’s Yinglong – 17.04m
China’s Rongjia ZHOU – 16.90m
Japan’s Manato MIYAO – 16.64m
Qatar’s Mohamed ALY NOUFAL – 16.50m

4) Shaili Singh (Long Jump):
Shaili will be leading the Indian squad. In her last competition, she registered a season-best jump of 6.67m, which currently ranks third in Asia this season. It is a great opportunity for her ahead of the Senior Asian Games to gain valuable international exposure, and winning gold would act as a major confidence booster. Her biggest challenge will come from China’s Yingying HUANG, who has a personal best of 6.76m. Another strong contender is China’s Shiqi XIONG with 6.65m.

5) Aarti (Race Walk):
The 2025 World U20 Championships bronze medallist has also been named in the squad. This season, Aarti clocked 1:43:15 at the Open Race Walking Championships in Chandigarh. She will face strong competition from:

Top competitors (Season Best):

China’s Xiaofan LA – 1:33:08
China’s Liping PANG – 1:35:39
Kazakhstan’s Yasmina TOXANBAYEVA – 1:37:17
Japan’s Ai OYAMA – 1:39:49

Full 54-member Indian squad

Men: Vibhaskar Kumar, Sam Vasanth S (100m/4x100m relay), Harsh Santosh Raut, Mohamed Shan P, Laukik Anant Melge, Aniket Nalawade (4x100m relay), Abhay Singh (200m), J Pandiyan (200m), Astik Pradhan, Setu Mishra (400m/4x400m relay), Aman Chaudhary, Sharan M, Sahil Malik, Tarandeep Singh (4x400m relay), Shakeel, Vinod Kumar Bhanot (800m), Sakir, Ritik Deol (1500m), Shivaji Parashuram (5,000m/10,000m), Vinod Singh (5,000m), Shailesh Kushwaha (10,000m), Sharuk Khan (3,000m steeplechase), Sudeep (high jump), Mohammed Muhassin (triple jump), Dev Kumar Meena, Kuldeep Kumar (pole vault), Mohd Atta Sazid (long jump), Bharatpreet Singh (discus throw), Shivam Lohakare, Anand Singh (javelin throw), Harshit Kumar (hammer throw), Abhijit Bhosale (decathlon), Sachin G (21km race walk).

Women: Kiruthika, Akshaya S, V Sudheeksha, Sanjana, Abinaya Rajarajan (4x100m relay), Huidrom Bhumeshwor (800m/1500m), Vaishnavi Rawal (800m), Shreeya Rajesh, Sabita Toppo (100m hurdles), Prachi Devkar (3,000m steeplechase), Nitika Anup Akare (pole vault), Shaili Singh (long jump), Vidhi (shot put), Anupriya VS (shot put), Priya (discus throw), Shravani Sachin Sangle (400m hurdles/4x400m relay), Nofisa Khatun, Tahura Khatun, Boomika Nehate, Sandra Mol Sabu, C Janice Stella (4x400m relay), Anamika KA (heptathlon), Aarti (21km race walk).

Note: Vidhi (Shot Put) to miss the competition pending the anti-doping results management process.

26 National Records in a Historic 2026 Season

The 2026 season is going as well as it possibly could for Indian athletics. Although the major international championships are yet to begin, the performances of Indian athletes at the domestic level have been sending a strong message on the global stage.

Indian athletics has witnessed a magnificent 26 national records this season, even though the year is only halfway through.

Here is a detailed look at all the national records:

1) Ram Baboo (Marathon Race Walk) – Ram Baboo became India’s first national record holder in the marathon race walk event. The Asian Games medallist finished first with a time of 3:09:16 at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition in Chandigarh.

2) Manju Rani (Marathon Race Walk) – Asian Games medallist Manju Rani began her 2026 season on a brilliant note, winning gold and becoming India’s first national record holder in the women’s marathon race walk with a time of 3:33:24 at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition in Chandigarh.

3) Ravina (Half Marathon Race Walk) – Ravina became India’s first national record holder in the women’s half marathon race walk event. She won gold with a time of 1:39:14 at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition in Chandigarh.

4) Sahil (Half Marathon Race Walk) – Sahil became India’s first national record holder in the men’s half marathon race walk event. He won gold with a time of 1:25:48 at the Indian Open Race Walking Competition in Chandigarh.

Gurindervir–Animesh: India’s 100m National Record rewritten three times this season

5) Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.17s in the semifinals at the Federation Cup.

6) Animesh Kujur bettered it with 10.15s in the semifinals.

7) Gurindervir Singh lowered it further to 10.09s in the final.

Men’s Pole Vault National Record bettered four times this season

8) Kuldeep Kumar cleared 5.41m at the National Indoor Championships to set a new national record.

9) Dev Meena cleared 5.42m at the Federation Cup.

10) Kuldeep Kumar and Dev Meena both cleared 5.45m.

11) Dev Meena cleared 5.46m at the Interstate Championships, breaching the Asian Games qualification mark.

Women’s Pole Vault National Record bettered three times this season

12) Baranica Elangovan shattered the national record by clearing 4.22m at the National Indoor Championships.

13) She improved it again to 4.23m at the Combined Events Indoor Championships.

14) Sindhushree G bettered it once again, clearing 4.25m at the Interstate Championships.

15) Parul Chaudhary (5000m) – Parul Chaudhary finished second in the women’s 5000m at the Meeting Nikaïa, clocking a sensational 15:04.26 to break the Indian national record.

16) Pooja (High Jump) – Pooja cleared 1.93m to break the Indian senior women’s high jump national record at the U20 Asian Athletics Championships 2026.

17) Tejas Shirse (110m Hurdles) – Tejas Ashok Shirse rewrote the Indian record books, clocking a sensational lifetime best of 13.27s in the men’s 110m hurdles at the Indian Athletics Series–9.

18) Gulveer Singh (5000m) – Gulveer Singh set a new Indian national record in the men’s 5000m outdoor event at the LA Track Fest with a time of 13:03.93.

19) Vishal TK (400m) – Vishal TK shattered his own national record, clocking a historic 44.98s to become the first Indian ever to run under 45 seconds in the men’s 400m.

Mixed 4×100m Relay National Record broken twice this season

20) India’s 4×100m Mixed Relay Team B, comprising Lalu Bhoi, Unnathi Bolanda, Jayaram, and Harita Bhadra, stunned the senior team by breaking the national record with 42.30s.

21) India’s 4×100m Mixed Relay Team created history at the World Relays, clocking a stunning 41.35s to break the national record.

Team: Animesh • Ragul • Nithya • Sneha

22) Anushka Yadav (Women’s Hammer Throw) – Eighteen-year-old sensation Anushka Yadav became India’s youngest senior national record holder after shattering the women’s hammer throw national record with a massive lifetime best of 67.02m.

23) Sarvesh Kushare (High Jump) – Sarvesh Kushare delivered the performance of his career, clearing a sensational 2.31m to set a new Indian national record in the men’s high jump.

24) Ancy Sojan (Long Jump) – Ancy Sojan finally achieved the moment she had been chasing for years, breaking one of India’s oldest national records with a lifetime best leap of 6.88m in the women’s long jump.

25) Tejaswin Shankar (Decathlon) – Tejaswin Shankar became the first Indian ever to cross 8,000 points in the decathlon. He finished the Federation Cup 2026 decathlon with a massive 8,057 points, becoming the first Indian in history to breach the 8,000-point mark.

26) Gurindervir Singh (60m) – Gurindervir Singh won gold in the men’s 60m at the National Indoor Championships 2026 by clocking 6.60s, breaking the previous national record of 6.67s set by V.K. Elakkiadasan in 2018.

Nipam Chauhan and the Dangerous Gamble of Over-the-Counter Supplements

These are not lottery numbers. Some in positions of power may even classify them as ‘random’ numbers – 8590889 & 8590888; 8590160 & 8591350 but these Sample Code Numbers do have a sound associated with them, akin to ‘death knell.’ Worse, it doesn’t even sound scandalous anymore or even out of the ordinary.

But when NNIS Sports broke the news that India’s fastest junior sprinter Nipam Chauhan, the U20 100m national record holder and 2026 Asian U20 double medallist, had tested positive for a banned substance, it wasn’t something that jerked you back to reality. It felt like just ‘another day’ in Indian athletics, casting a shadow over the much-heralded 20-plus national records broken in recent months.

When questioned, Nipam’s response was immediate: “I changed my supplement and I am sure it was because of that. I have submitted the supplement and all the relevant details to NADA’s office.”

Pressed further on what she took, she explained: “I purchased a supplement called Ecdysterone Gold from a shop near my home. I specifically asked the shopkeeper whether it was dope-free. He said that you can even take it on the day of the competition. It is 100 percent dope-free.”

It highlights how trust has become a diminishing commodity in the sport. Even assuming she genuinely trusted a local shopkeeper over her own instincts, it raises the question of why she failed to consult anyone else in the system – her coach, fellow athletes, or medical staff. Was it truly necessary to take that supplement at that exact moment, or could she have held back?

The supplement in question, Ecdysterone Gold, is frequently marketed as a natural, non-hormonal muscle builder. It carries a legendary history rooted in early Soviet sports science, even if the specific tub of “Gold” powder was likely manufactured by a modern commercial brand elsewhere. Early Soviet studies and foundational research papers from the 1980s showed that Ecdysterone helped athletes maintain a positive nitrogen balance and lean mass during gruelling, high-volume training cycles. Chemically, it is a phytoecdysteroid – a naturally occurring steroid hormone found in certain plants.

In 2019, a study funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed that Ecdysterone supplementation led to significantly higher increases in muscle mass and bench press performance. While some researchers recommended adding it to the prohibited list, it currently remains on WADA’s “Monitoring Program.”

However, the real danger lies in cross-contamination. Shady manufacturers often intentionally “spike” otherwise natural supplements with cheap, synthetic micro-doses to guarantee rapid results. If an athlete’s batch of “Ecdysterone Gold” happens to be contaminated with even a microscopic trace of a banned anabolic agent like ostarine, stanozolol, or methandienone, they will test positive.

Ultimately, taking any over-the-counter muscle builder is a massive gamble unless it carries an independent, third-party testing seal specifically verifying it is free of WADA-banned contaminants. This is especially true for products sporting aggressive, steroid-mimicking marketing names like “Gold.”

For Nipam who previously trained at the Kalinga Stadium under coach Subham Baliyan the stakes couldn’t be higher. To truly understand her trajectory, one has to look back at her family in Pavti Kalan, tracing the intense financial and personal struggles that defined her rapid rise. Now, that inspiring journey heavily collides with a major doping controversy.

With the supplement officially handed over to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), the athletics community faces a familiar, anxious wait for the final verdict.