Eliud Kipchoge’s Cape Town Marathon Headlines Ethiopia’s Dominant Day

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon may still be chasing official World Marathon Major status, but the 2026 edition delivered exactly the kind of spectacle global road running wanted to see.

Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa and Dera Dida produced commanding victories in the elite races, while marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge officially began his ambitious “World Tour” project on African soil for the very first time.

The men’s race belonged to Esa.

The Ethiopian clocked a stunning 2:04:55 to smash the course record and register an African all-comers’ record in Cape Town. It was also the first marathon victory of his career after several near-misses on the global circuit, including runner-up finishes in Tokyo, Boston and Chicago in previous years.

Esa made his decisive move around the 40km mark after a tightly packed lead group had gone through halfway in 1:02:49. He eventually held off compatriot Yihunilign Adane by four seconds in a dramatic finish, while Kenya’s Kalipus Lomwai finished third.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia completed a clean sweep of the podium.

Berlin Marathon runner-up Dera Dida timed her race perfectly, pulling away in the closing stages to win in 2:23:18 ahead of Mestawut Fikir and Waganesh Mekasha Amare. The lead group had remained largely intact until 35km before Dida finally broke clear over the final kilometres.

But beyond the results, much of the attention centred on Kipchoge.

The two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder finished in 2:13:29 as part of a new personal mission — running marathons across all seven continents over the next few years. Cape Town marked the first African stop of that journey and, remarkably, the first competitive marathon Kipchoge has ever run on African soil.

“Africa is where my journey as a runner began,” Kipchoge had said before the race, calling the moment deeply symbolic.

At 41, Kipchoge is no longer chasing world records in the same way he once did. The marathon landscape itself has changed dramatically in recent months, with men’s marathon running entering an astonishing new era after multiple sub-two-hour performances at the London Marathon earlier this year.

Yet Kipchoge’s presence still gives races enormous global visibility.

That matters greatly for Cape Town.

The marathon is currently bidding to become the first African race inducted into the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors series — joining events like London, Boston, Berlin and Tokyo. Last year’s edition had been cancelled shortly before the start due to dangerous weather conditions, delaying Cape Town’s evaluation process.

This year’s successful staging, massive participation numbers and elite performances were therefore hugely important for organisers trying to prove Africa can host a marathon at the very highest level.

And if the atmosphere, crowds and quality of racing from this edition are anything to go by, Cape Town’s case is becoming increasingly difficult for the marathon world to ignore.

World Athletics may have quietly delivered one of the most consequential rule changes for field events in recent years.

Buried inside the newly released qualification system for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing was a sentence that immediately caught the attention of throwers and coaches around the world:

“Discus Throw performances for Entry Standards must be achieved within the confines of a traditional athletics facility unless otherwise approved at least one month in advance by World Athletics Competition Unit. But will be accepted for World Rankings.”

At first glance, it looks technical.

In reality, it appears to be a direct response to the growing influence of Ramona, Oklahoma — the now-famous throwing venue that has produced a staggering number of massive discus marks over the last three years.

Ramona has become almost mythical in throwing circles because of its unique wind conditions and open geography. Athletes from around the world have flocked there chasing huge distances and qualification standards.

Now, World Athletics seems determined to put limits on that phenomenon.

The biggest issue is ambiguity.

What exactly qualifies as a “traditional athletics facility”?

Does it mean a standard 400m track stadium with the discus sector located inside the arena? Or can standalone throwing venues still count? And what does “within the confines” even mean in practical terms?

The wording raises several uncomfortable questions.

Could world-class throws achieved at specialist throwing venues suddenly become invalid for direct qualification purposes? Would athletes now need World Athletics approval months in advance just to ensure performances count toward automatic qualification?

At the moment, nobody outside World Athletics seems entirely sure.

The move also reflects a broader philosophical shift happening within global athletics.

World Athletics has already made it clear that the future qualification system will rely much more heavily on world rankings rather than direct entry standards. The target model for Beijing 2027 is expected to see roughly 40% of athletes qualify through standards and 60% through rankings.

In other words, the governing body increasingly wants athletes competing consistently at recognised high-level competitions instead of chasing one-off qualification marks in unusually favourable conditions.

For discus throwers, Ramona had become the perfect example of the opposite approach.

Athletes could arrive at a venue known for giant throws, produce a career-best performance aided by ideal conditions, secure qualification, and bypass the rankings grind altogether.

World Athletics now appears uncomfortable with that reality.

Interestingly, throwers are not the only athletes being affected.

Distance runners have also taken a hit.

The new rules reportedly reduce the value of certain indoor performances for qualification purposes, particularly marks achieved at ultra-fast indoor tracks such as Boston University — often described as the “Ramona of distance running.”

The message from World Athletics is becoming increasingly obvious: qualification should reflect season-long consistency and competition quality, not isolated performances in highly specialised environments.

Whether that improves fairness or simply creates more bureaucracy is another debate entirely.

For athletes from smaller federations, the change may prove especially difficult. Access to recognised high-category meets is already uneven, expensive, and often dependent on invitations, sponsorship, and federation support.

Now, even finding the right venue may become part of the qualification battle.

And until World Athletics properly explains what a “traditional athletics facility” actually means, confusion is likely to continue dominating conversations in the throwing community.

India’s sports administration could be heading for its biggest structural overhaul in decades.

The Union government has officially notified the National Sports Governance (National Sports Board) Rules, 2026 and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Tribunal) Rules, 2026 under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 — a move the Centre says is aimed at aligning Indian sport with global governance standards.

At the heart of the reforms are two new institutions: a National Sports Board that will regulate and monitor sports bodies, and a National Sports Tribunal designed to function as a dedicated dispute-resolution mechanism for Indian sport.

For years, Indian sport has operated through a fragmented ecosystem where federations largely governed themselves while disputes over elections, athlete selections, suspensions, and governance routinely spilled into the courts. The new framework attempts to centralise regulation and speed up adjudication.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya described the Tribunal as a “single-window mechanism” for sports-related disputes. According to the notified rules, the Tribunal will conduct virtual hearings, maintain digital records, and publish orders online — signalling a major push toward digital governance.

The National Sports Board, meanwhile, will oversee recognition of National Sports Federations (NSFs) and monitor compliance with governance, financial and ethical standards. The Board will consist of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central government through a Search-cum-Selection Committee.

The reforms come after years of controversy in Indian sport.

Selection disputes, election battles, allegations of corruption, athlete protests, administrative paralysis, and prolonged litigation have repeatedly disrupted multiple federations. Athletes and officials often had no specialised legal forum and were forced to directly approach High Courts or the Supreme Court for relief.

The government argues that India’s ambitions to become a global sporting power — including its long-term Olympic aspirations — require governance structures that resemble international standards followed by leading sporting nations.

The broader National Sports Governance Act also seeks to introduce stronger representation of athletes and women within sports administration while standardising ethical and governance norms across federations.

However, the reforms are unlikely to pass without debate.

Supporters argue that Indian sport desperately needed accountability, transparency and independent dispute resolution. Critics, however, fear excessive government intervention could threaten the autonomy of sports federations and potentially invite friction with international governing bodies such as the IOC and various world federations.

The debate becomes especially sensitive in cricket.

The possibility of bringing bodies like the Board of Control for Cricket in India under broader governance oversight has already triggered intense discussion within sporting and legal circles. Many argue cricket prospered precisely because it operated relatively independently of direct government control, while others believe no sports body receiving public influence should remain completely insulated from transparency norms.

Still, the direction of travel is becoming clear.

India is attempting to move away from an era where sports governance functioned through ad hoc systems, personality-driven federations and endless court battles.

Whether these reforms genuinely improve athlete welfare and transparency — or merely create another bureaucratic layer — may ultimately depend not on the framework itself, but on how independently and consistently it is implemented.

World Athletics has officially unveiled the qualification system for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing — and the message is loud and clear: qualifying is about to become much harder.

The governing body is continuing with its hybrid qualification model, where athletes can enter either through direct qualifying standards or via world rankings. But this time, rankings will matter more than ever before.

World Athletics says it wants roughly 40% of athletes to qualify through entry standards and 60% through rankings. That is a major shift from previous championships, where standards carried more weight.

For Indian athletes, this changes the entire approach to season planning.

The qualifying windows are already open for some events. Marathon qualification began in November 2025, while the 10,000m and race walks opened in February 2026. Most other events will have qualification periods running from August 2026 to August 2027.

But the real talking point is the standards themselves.

Several marks have become brutally difficult. The men’s 800m standard is now 1:43.00, while the men’s 1500m has been pushed to 3:30.00. Even the men’s 100m now effectively requires athletes to break the 10-second barrier.

The implication is obvious: World Athletics does not expect most athletes to qualify directly anymore.

Instead, the rankings system will decide the majority of places.

That means athletes will need to compete regularly at high-category international meets such as Diamond League events and Continental Tour competitions. Rankings are calculated using both performance marks and the quality of competition.

There is another major twist.

From now on, qualifying marks will only count if achieved at Category C meets or above. That effectively excludes many lower-level competitions and local meets from direct qualification consideration.

For Indian athletes, this could become a serious challenge.

Access to high-category international meets is often expensive and politically complicated. Entry into elite competitions frequently depends on agents, sponsorship relationships, and global rankings themselves. Athletes from stronger systems naturally gain an advantage.

Distance runners and throwers may feel the impact the most.

World Athletics has also cracked down on certain “favourable conditions” performances. Marks achieved at famous facilities such as Throw Town Ramona in discus or on Boston University’s indoor track will no longer count as qualifying standards, though they will still help rankings.

There are also wild-card routes available.

Defending world champions, winners of the new World Ultimate Championships, Diamond League champions, and certain tour winners can qualify automatically.

For Indian athletics, the system creates both opportunity and pressure.

Athletes like Gulveer Singh, Vishal TK, Gurindervir Singh, and Tejaswin Shankar are already competing at levels where rankings can become realistic qualification routes. But for emerging athletes without international exposure, the pathway now looks significantly tougher.

The days of producing one brilliant performance at a domestic meet and punching a World Championships ticket may slowly disappear.

Consistency, international competition, rankings management, and access to elite races may now matter as much as raw talent itself.

World Athletics has officially unveiled the qualification system for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing — and the message is loud and clear: qualifying is about to become much harder.

World Athletics says it wants roughly 40% of athletes to qualify through entry standards and 60% through rankings. That is a major shift from previous championships, where standards carried more weight.

For Indian athletes, this changes the entire approach to season planning.

But the real talking point is the standards themselves.

The implication is obvious: World Athletics does not expect most athletes to qualify directly anymore.

Instead, the rankings system will decide the majority of places.

That means athletes will need to compete regularly at high-category international meets such as Diamond League events and Continental Tour competitions. Rankings are calculated using both performance marks and the quality of competition.

There is another major twist.

For Indian athletes, this could become a serious challenge.

Distance runners and throwers may feel the impact the most.

There are also wild-card routes available.

Defending world champions, winners of the new World Ultimate Championships, Diamond League champions, and certain tour winners can qualify automatically.

For Indian athletics, the system creates both opportunity and pressure.

The days of producing one brilliant performance at a domestic meet and punching a World Championships ticket may slowly disappear.

Consistency, international competition, rankings management, and access to elite races may now matter as much as raw talent itself.

By :- Sundeep Misra

First, let’s get one thing out of the way: James Hillier is an extremely good coach. Now that the mandatory genuflection is done, we need to talk about his recent online session with “hand-picked” journalists.

Mr. Hillier saw fit to drop a slice of classic, defensive sarcasm, complaining that a few reporters “just try to find the negative in everything because they want a few clicks.”

It begs the question: Is he entirely above criticism? Did he secretly coach a golden generation to Olympic glory in some other part of the world, earning lifetime immunity from accountability? Or has the classic Indian sporting trait of zero introspection finally rubbed off on him?
More importantly, does he seriously believe that Indian track and field is a goldmine for “clicks”? Let’s be real. If a journalist wanted cheap traffic, they’d write a breathless 100-word aggregate piece about Virat Kohli’s haircut or Rohit Sharma’s expressions. Covering athletics isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. The reporters on this beat put far more on the line than the AFI or you, Mr. Hillier. You know why? We don’t get paid by the AFI or Reliance. We know exactly what dedicating our lives to the raw, unglamorous reality of track and field actually costs.

Let’s look at history. At the 2012 London Olympics, UK Athletics chief Charles van Commenee resigned after British athletes won six medals. Why? Because he had publicly promised eight. He held himself to his own standard and walked. Meanwhile, in our ecosystem, the baton gets dropped (thrice), performances plateau (relay), and the blame is neatly deflected away from the coaching staff. Was it lack of exposure? Lack of preparation? Who knows. But the goalposts just get pushed comfortably forward to the next Asian Games or Olympic cycle.

Taxpayers’ money funds national teams and national systems. Is anyone ever held accountable? Historically, NSFs act like they are completely untouchable.

This isn’t about “negativity.” It’s about the soul of the sport. Watching wonderfully talented sprinters like Gurindervir Singh and Animesh Kujur suffer when their performances drop is genuinely heartbreaking. They are the ones who bear the brunt when the system falters. The rest of the noise? I couldn’t care a fig. Clicks or no clicks; the athletes deserve a system that takes a hard look in the mirror instead of blaming the people holding the notebooks.

Watch the video here! youtube

nnis Sports broke the news that Pooja, Shahnavaz Khan, along with 23 athletes, were sent back from the airport due to delays in the visa process for the Indian team travelling to Hong Kong, China, for the U20 Asian Athletics Championships 2026, scheduled from 28th to 31st May 2026.
India was set to send a 64-member contingent for the championships, out of which 41 members successfully received their Pre-Arrival Registration Slips, while the remaining 23 members had their applications marked “unsuccessful” and were sent back to the Bengaluru camp from the airport.
nnis Sports reached out to AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwala for comments on the matter. Replying to a WhatsApp message around 16:50 IST, he said:

“All athletes are cleared, they are on the flight. For some reason, Hong Kong did not issue visas. We took up the matter with the LOC and, with their help, got visas for all.”

He further added:

“Your statement is absolutely incorrect as usual; no one went to the airport and went back to camp. Sorry to disappoint you.”

However, many athletes among the 23 members who were allegedly sent back to camp from Airport reached out to us, confirming they had indeed returned from the airport to the Bengaluru camp. One athlete, who did not wish to be named, said:

“Humlog ko bola gaya SAI centre jane ke liye. Humlog raat ko 3 baje se pahuche, wo bhi khud se cab book karke. Disrespect kiya gaya sab ka. Ek bus bhi arrange nahin ki un logon ne.”

Another athlete said:

“Bhaiya, hua toh hai, par event humara late hai, koi dikkat nahi hai. Mil jayega visa.”

When asked whether they were left alone during the process, the athlete clarified that a bus was eventually arranged for their return.
But the bigger question remains: why is India’s national federation always late in handling visa applications?
When we further confirmed whether the athletes had eventually received their visas today, we found that all athletes had indeed received them today eveing. However, only four out of the 23 athletes were scheduled to fly out tonight.
Those athletes are:

• Jashanpreet Singh (400m Hurdles)
• Piyush Raj (400m)
• Tahura Khatun (400m)
• Vikas (3000m Steeplechase)

They are expected to board a flight around 10 PM IST, with the journey taking a minimum of 5 hours and 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Tahura and Piyush are scheduled to compete in the women’s and men’s 400m heats at 7:45 AM IST and 8:10 AM IST respectively.
All 23 athletes have now received their visas, but several of them are still awaiting confirmation of their flight details.
This is not the first time Indian athletes have faced such issues. India’s race walking team, which was set to represent the country at the Race Walking Team Championships earlier this year, reportedly faced similar visa delays from the Brazilian embassy due to incomplete documentation submitted by the federation.

The major question remains: why are preparations for international tournaments not completed well in advance? Why can’t all visa formalities and documentation be completed at least a month before the event? Why is there always a last-minute scramble?
The team was officially selected by AFI on 13th May. If that was the case, then why was the visa process delayed?
Management, visa offices, and federations may eventually correct their mistakes. But what about an athlete who reaches barely an hour before the first international competition of their life, an event they trained years for, simply because someone failed to attach the right documents?

Yashas Palaksha becomes India’s all-time 2nd fastest in men’s 400m hurdles!

Karnataka’s Yashas Palaksha breached the Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification standard, clocking a stunning 49.00s at Federation Cup 2026.

With this performance he became India’s all-time 2nd fastest 400m hurdler Santhosh, who finished 2nd, also produced a massive run of 49.06s — now India’s 3rd fastest ever.

Till now, only one Indian had ever gone sub-49 seconds in men’s 400m hurdles:

National record holder Dharun Ayyasamy – 48.80s

Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi | Federation Cup 2026 | May 25, 2026

In a Federation Cup that has already produced back-to-back sprinting national records, historic pole vault battles, and a triple jumper revealing his CWG motivation on his phone screen, Vithya Ramraj has saved one of the championship’s finest individual performances for the closing stages.

The Tamil Nadu star claimed double gold in the women’s 400m and 400m hurdles at Federation Cup 2026 — and did so with times that place her among the fastest women in Asia this season.

The Numbers That Matter

Vithya clocked 52.22 seconds in the 400m flat and 56.61 seconds in the 400m hurdles. Both marks make her India’s fastest woman over those distances in 2026. But the significance stretches well beyond the domestic picture.

Her 52.22s in the 400m ranks third in Asia this season. Her 56.61s in the 400m hurdles ranks fourth in Asia this season. These are not just Indian-leading times — they are continental-level performances. At a domestic championship, without the pressure and competition of an international meet to pull her along, Vithya has put herself firmly in Asia’s elite conversation in not one but two events.

Doubling in the 400m and 400m hurdles at any level demands exceptional physical conditioning and mental endurance. To do it while producing Asia-ranking times is something else entirely.

Asian Games on the Horizon

The timing of these performances is no coincidence. With the 2026 Asian Games approaching, Vithya has sent a message to her continental rivals that she is ready and in the form of her career. Third and fourth in Asia this season, at Federation Cup, with months of international competition still ahead — the trajectory is pointing sharply upward.

If she can find even marginal improvement on these marks as the season builds toward the Asian Games, Vithya Ramraj will be a genuine medal contender on the biggest stage in Asian athletics.

The CWG Hurdle: An Impossible Standard

The one bittersweet note in an otherwise brilliant evening is the Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification mark in the 400m hurdles — set at a staggering 54.67 seconds. That is a time faster than India’s current national record in the event. In other words, no Indian woman, on her absolute best day in history, has ever run fast enough to meet that qualification standard.

Vithya’s 56.61s is an excellent time — fourth in Asia this season — but the CWG mark is simply beyond the current ceiling of Indian women’s 400m hurdles. It is a standard set so high that it effectively closes the door before any athlete can even knock on it. That is a conversation the athletics federation and Games organisers may need to have, because performances like Vithya’s deserve a pathway to the Commonwealth stage.

A Champion on Both Counts

What Vithya Ramraj achieved in Ranchi is worth stepping back to fully appreciate. Two events. Two gold medals. Two Asian-ranking performances. All at the same championship, within the same few days, on the same track.

Federation Cup 2026 has produced a remarkable cast of performers. But for sheer versatility, consistency, and the scale of what her times mean on the continental stage, Vithya Ramraj’s double gold stands as one of the championship’s defining stories.

The Asian Games await. She is ready.

Birsa Munda Stadium, Ranchi | Federation Cup 2026 | May 24, 2026

Tamil Nadu’s Nandhini K arrived at Federation Cup 2026 as an athlete in form. She left it as a national champion — and the woman who upstaged one of South Asia’s finest hurdlers in the process.

Running the race of her life, Nandhini crossed the line in 13.24 seconds — a lifetime best that sliced 0.21s off her previous personal record in a single, defining run. In a sprint hurdles event where margins are measured in hundredths, a 0.21s improvement is not incremental progress. It is a leap.

Standing in her way was no ordinary rival. Pragyan Prashanti Sahu, the reigning SAAF champion, is the benchmark of women’s hurdles in South Asian athletics. Pragyan ran 13.33s — a time that, on most days, would be more than enough to win a national title. On this evening in Ranchi, it earned her silver.

The race for gold was settled. The race for bronze was not.

Anjali C and Shreeya Rajesh pushed each other to the line in one of the most breathtaking finishes of the entire Federation Cup. When the photo finish equipment delivered its verdict, the margin between them was 0.007 seconds — a gap so small it exists beyond the limit of human perception. One bronze medal. Two athletes who deserved it equally. The numbers gave it to one of them by the width of a heartbeat.

For Nandhini, however, the evening belonged entirely to her. A lifetime best. A national title. A statement result against the reigning SAAF champion. Federation Cup 2026 will be remembered as the day Tamil Nadu’s finest hurdler announced herself on the biggest domestic stage in Indian athletics.