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Athletics India

28-April-2026

Needles, minors & a shadow over success

Tumkur U20 meet raises fresh doping concerns The 24th National Junior U20 Athletics Federation Cup 2026 concluded at the Mahatma Gandhi Athletics Stadium, Tumkur, Karnataka.

Road to Eugene begins in Tumkur

21-April-2026

The 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition is set to be held from April 24 to 26, 2026, at the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Stadium in Tumkur, Karnataka, with around 40 events lined up across men’s and women’s categories.

A 3-day event packed with action:
Day 1: Early finals – 5000m, Pole Vault, Discus, 100m finals, etc.
Day 2: Bulk of finals – field events, middle distance, hurdles
Day 3: Remaining finals – 800m, 200m, steeplechase, relays

What makes this event even more special is that it will also serve as a qualification meet for the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships and, more importantly, the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled to take place in Eugene, Oregon, USA, from 5–9 August 2026.

In past editions, India has produced some of the best results at the U20 Worlds:

Neeraj Chopra — 2016 (Javelin Throw):
In 2016, India’s wonder boy stepped onto Poland’s Zawisza Stadium with a spear in his right hand and made history. He won gold with a U20 world record throw of 86.48m, securing India’s first-ever U20 gold in javelin. This remains one of the greatest junior performances globally.
Hima Das — 2018 (400m):
In 2018, Hima Das created one of the most iconic moments in Indian sporting history, becoming the first Indian woman to win a track gold at a global event, clocking 51.46s.
Shaili Singh — 2021 (Long Jump):
Currently India’s all-time second-best jumper (6.76m), she won silver with a jump of 6.59m. It was a special moment for the girl from Jhansi, supported by her mother and trained at the Anju Bobby George Academy, breaking barriers along the way.
Selva Prabhu — 2022 (Triple Jump):
India’s U20 national record holder won silver at the 2022 U20 World Championships with a jump of 16.15m, which was his lifetime best at the time.
Aarti — 2024 (Racewalking):
Although the last edition did not go as planned for India, only one athlete reached the podium. Aarti delivered a standout performance, winning bronze and breaking India’s U20 national record in race walking with a time of 44:39.39.

This year promises to be just as exciting, with several athletes preparing to perform on the biggest U20 stage:

Pratik Maharana (Sprints):
A young sprinter from Odisha, a region known for producing some of India’s fastest athletes. The state has seen names like Amiya Mallick (10.26s) and Dutee Chand (11.17s). Pratik, trained by coach Siba Mishra, has already breached the World Championships qualification mark by clocking 21.24s to win gold at the Junior Nationals. However, he will need to repeat that performance here to confirm his ticket to Eugene.
Mohammed Ashfaq (400m):
Kerala’s rising talent is one to watch. The 18-year-old impressed at the Senior South Asian Athletics Championships, winning silver in the 400m with a lifetime best of 46.56s. Competing against experienced athletes like Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Kumarage (46.21s), Ashfaq also secured three medals overall – gold in the mixed 4x400m and silvers in the individual 400m and men’s 4x400m.
Pooja Singh (High Jump): Pooja has been steadily raising the bar, literally. The 18-year-old recently cleared a lifetime best of 1.90m at the Indian Series–3. She had already made the final at the last U20 Worlds, where she broke the U20 national record with 1.83m. This time, she heads in as a Senior Asian outdoor champion and indoor silver medallist.

Along with these names, several others will be worth watching:

Rishabh Giri (Men’s Javelin), Poonam (Women’s events), Sai Kiran (Shot Put), Parth Singh and Aarti (100m), along with others.

India’s Athletics Infrastructure Faces a Reality Check

India’s athletics story has long been about rising talent, national records, and growing ambitions on the global stage. But beneath the surface of these achievements lies a troubling truth—one that questions the very foundation athletes compete on.

A recent statement by Adille Sumariwalla, spokesperson of the Athletics Federation of India, has sparked a serious debate: “90% plus tracks in India are substandard

Materials used are often substandard

Construction processes lack proper standards

Granules and thickness are inconsistent

Even measurements are sometimes i

In some cases, instead of proper polyurethane surfaces, tyre rubber is being used, raising serious concerns about durability and performance.

This isn’t just about infrastructure—it directly affects how athletes train, compete, and perform.

WORLD ATHLETICS CONCERN ADDS PRESSURE

The concerns are not limited to India. World Athletics has reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of tracks being certified in the country.

A meeting in Tokyo exposed “shocking” data regarding track quality, forcing Indian authorities to confront the issue head-on.

WORLD ATHLETICS CERTIFIED TRACKS IN INDIA

As per the document available on the World Athletics website, India has approximately 100 verified tracks, out of which 8 are in the A category:

– Sports Authority of India, Netaji Subhash Southern Centre, Bangalore

– Khel Sankul Stadium, Bundi, Rajasthan

– Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai

– Giri Centre, Hisar, Haryana

– Government Arts & Sports College, Jalandhar

– Rajgarh International Stadium, Rajgarh

– Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (both competition and warm-up tracks)

THE CORE PROBLEM: LACK OF OVERSIGHT

One of the most striking revelations is that the AFI had historically stayed away from track certification due to concerns over how contracts were awarded.

This lack of involvement created a gap where:

Poor vendors entered the system

Quality checks weakened

Standards became inconsistent across states

Now, that hands-off approach is no longer viable.

Under pressure from World Athletics, the Athletics Federation of India is now being forced to act.

The federation will actively participate in track certification, move to identify and approve vendors who meet global standards, and significantly tighten the testing and monitoring of tracks across the country. It has also already begun training officials alongside international experts.

This signals a clear shift in approach—from being a passive observer to stepping in as an active regulator.

Substandard tracks are not just a technical flaw—they have real consequences:

Slower times and inconsistent performance

Higher injury risk due to improper surface response

Reduced lifespan of tracks (2–3 years vs expected 8–10 years)

Limited ability to host world-class events

For a country aiming to become a global athletics powerhouse and host international events, this is a serious bottleneck.

The National Record Was Never the Target

April 12, 2026, will go down as a historic day for Indian athletics. Sawan Barwal, on his marathon debut, broke a 48-year-old national record at the Rotterdam Marathon. But if you expect a celebration, you don’t know Barwal yet.

Clocking 2:11:58, he erased Shivnath Singh’s legendary 2:12:00 set in 1978, a record that had stood longer than any other in Indian athletics. Yet, for Barwal, the moment was far from perfect.

We had already planned it… Our target was around 2:08–2:10. We hadn’t planned to break the national record,” says Sawan Barwal, speaking exclusively to nnis sports. “So naturally, the record was expected to be broken.”

That line defines him—not a man chasing history, but one chasing time.

Barwal’s honesty is striking. There was no dramatic celebration at the finish line, no emotional outburst.

“At that time, there was no happiness, only disappointment after the finish line,” he admits. “Even after breaking the national record, I didn’t feel like I had actually broken it.”

For an athlete rewriting history, it’s a rare mindset. His disappointment came from missing his pre-planned pace window, not from any lack of achievement.

“In the last 2 km, everything went up and down… we missed our target. I did not feel good.”

Just five months ago, Barwal was still a track runner. His resume included a bronze at the Asian Half Marathon Championships and a dominant double gold (5000m and 10,000m) at the National Games of India 2025. The marathon was new territory.

“It was my first experience… I had heard it is both mentally and physically a big challenge. Towards the end, it becomes more of a mental battle—nothing else is left.”

Even in unfamiliar terrain, his belief never wavered. “I was confident that I could run 2:08–2:09.”

That confidence, even after a record-breaking run, explains why he remains unsatisfied. Barwal carries his near-misses with him—the fourth-place finish at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 still lingers.

“Finishing fourth is very significant and heartbreaking… I missed the medal by just one place.”

Despite rewriting history, life hasn’t changed much—by choice. “I haven’t felt much change, and I’m not paying attention to social media.”

Instead, his focus has already shifted forward. The Rotterdam mark has secured him qualification for the Asian Games. But qualification isn’t the goal—a medal is.

“My main focus right now is the Asian Games… I will prepare with the goal of winning a medal.”

Even his approach to the national record reflects this mindset.

“The national record was never on my mind… if I ran around 2:10, it would come naturally.”

Interestingly, Barwal didn’t dwell on the legacy he surpassed.

“I only knew the record was held by Shivnath Singh… I didn’t really search much about it.”

For him, history isn’t something to admire—it’s something to move past.

With Barwal breaking the longest-standing men’s record, only P. T. Usha’s iconic 1984 mark in the 400m hurdles—later matched by Vithya Ramraj—remains among the oldest in Indian athletics.

But Barwal isn’t looking at that either.

“Next time, we can do even better… we can set a new target.”

Sawan Barwal’s Rotterdam run wasn’t just about breaking a record—it was about redefining standards