The 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana produced several impressive performances.
Karnataka’s Nagini, Haryana’s Dheeraj Sahu and Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu claimed titles in closely contested finals.
The championships are being held at Guru Nanak Stadium from September 1 to 3.
Nagini Wins Thrilling 1000m Final
Karnataka’s Nagini clinched the women’s 1000m title after a tight battle at the finish line.
She clocked 2:54.25 to take gold.
Nagini finished just 0.15 seconds ahead of Haryana’s Hunny Malik.
Malik crossed the line in 2:54.40.
Rajasthan’s Deepika completed the podium in 2:54.82.
All three medalists finished within 0.57 seconds of each other.
Dheeraj Sahu Produces Lifetime Best
Haryana’s Dheeraj Sahu delivered one of the standout field-event performances.
He won the men’s discus throw with a lifetime best of 55.85m.
The 16-year-old improved his previous personal best by more than two metres.
Sahu trains at SAI Sonipat.
He produced the winning mark to finish ahead of Haryana teammate Yash, who threw 54.82m.
Swapnil claimed bronze with 54.47m.
The top four athletes all surpassed the 54m mark.
That result highlighted the depth of competition in the event.
The AFI lists the men’s U18 discus automatic qualification standard at 50.50m.
The leading athletes therefore comfortably cleared the benchmark.
Lodenge Ramu Claims 400m Gold with PB
Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu added another strong performance to his Youth Nationals campaign.
He won the men’s 400m title in a lifetime best of 47.21 seconds.
Ramu improved on his previous best to take gold.
Maharashtra’s Manas Shinde finished second in 47.92s.
Kerala’s Ebin KJ secured bronze in 48.05s.
Ramu had already emerged as the fastest athlete across the 400m heats on the opening day.
He clocked 48.19s in the heats.
Nagini, Dheeraj and Ramu delivered three strong title-winning performances.
Their results underlined the emerging talent on display at the Youth Nationals.
Indian athletics saw several promising performances at Indian Athletics Series-15 in Meerut and the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana.
Established hurdlers, emerging sprinters and race walkers all made their mark at the two competitions.
Anjali C Delivers in 100m Hurdles
Anjali C continued her consistent run in the women’s 100m hurdles at Indian Athletics Series-15.
She won the event in 13.36 seconds in Meerut.
The performance was particularly encouraging. She finished just 0.01 seconds outside her personal best.
Her latest run adds to a series of strong performances.
It also underlines her status as one of India’s most consistent hurdlers heading into an important season.
With major international competitions ahead, Anjali will look to turn her consistency into further improvements on the clock.
T. Mrithika Emerges as a Sprinter to Watch
At the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana, Tamil Nadu’s T. Mrithika delivered a standout performance.
She won the women’s 100m title with a lifetime best of 11.76 seconds.
Mrithika was the only athlete in the final to dip below the 12-second mark.
The performance adds another encouraging chapter to the youngster’s development.
It also puts her firmly among India’s emerging sprint prospects.
Her victory helped Tamil Nadu complete a clean sweep of the youth 100m titles.
Neil Samraj won the men’s event in a record-breaking 10.46 seconds.
Prachi Bishnoi Wins Thrilling Race Walk Finish
The women’s race walk final in Ludhiana produced a dramatic finish.
Haryana’s Prachi Bishnoi held her nerve over the final 20 metres to claim gold.
Prachi stopped the clock at 14:01.53.
She edged Madhya Pradesh’s Ranjana Yadav, who finished in 14:01.79.
The difference was just 0.26 seconds.
That made it one of the closest finishes of the championships.
Together, the performances of Anjali, Mrithika and Prachi highlight the depth of talent emerging across Indian athletics.
Young athletes continue to make their mark on the national stage.
Anushka Yadav continued her impressive rise in Indian athletics at Indian Athletics Series-15 in Meerut.
The 18-year-old Uttar Pradesh thrower won the women’s hammer throw title with a best effort of 64.92m.
Yadav competed for the first time since her record-breaking performance at the Inter-State Athletics Championships.
There, she produced a stunning 67.02m to set a new Indian national record.
Yadav could not replicate that distance in Meerut.
However, her 64.92m throw was enough to secure another title.
The mark also ranks as the second-best throw of her career.
It underlines her growing consistency at the highest level.
Her record-breaking 67.02m effort also secured her qualification for the Asian Games 2026.
The teenager is expected to represent India at the Games.
Harita Bhadra Leads Women’s 200m
In the women’s 200m, Harita Bhadra topped the field.
She clocked 23.36s to claim the title.
Priya Habbathanahally Moha finished second in 24.78s.
Sneh completed the podium with 25.35s.
The complete results were:
🥇 Harita Bhadra 🇮🇳 — 23.36s
🥈 Priya Habbathanahally Moha 🇮🇳 — 24.78s
🥉 Sneh 🇮🇳 — 25.35s
4️⃣ Durga Sen 🇮🇳 — 25.77s
5️⃣ Nishita Neeraj 🇮🇳 — 25.99s
6️⃣ Kumari Dipti 🇮🇳 — 28.00s
The race was run with a -0.8m/s wind.
Yadav continues to build momentum in the hammer throw.
Bhadra, meanwhile, led the 200m field.
Indian Athletics Series-15 once again provided an important platform for India’s emerging and established athletes.
The competition gave them an opportunity to test themselves against each other.
The 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana produced several impressive performances.
India’s young athletics stars continued to make their mark across track and field events.
Vishnu Claims Men’s 5000m Racewalk Gold
Uttar Pradesh’s Vishnu won the men’s 5000m racewalk.
He clocked 21:02.81 to secure the gold medal.
Odisha’s Ayushman finished second in 21:17.88.
Delhi’s Aditya completed the podium with 21:35.16.
Men’s 5000m Racewalk Podium:
- 🥇 Vishnu (Uttar Pradesh) – 21:02.81
- 🥈 Ayushman (Odisha) – 21:17.88
- 🥉 Aditya (Delhi) – 21:35.16
Oshin Takes Women’s Discus Throw Title
Haryana’s Oshin won the women’s discus throw title.
She produced a winning throw of 45.98m.
Uttar Pradesh’s Dimpy Saini finished second with 43.22m.
Haryana’s Mansi Dangi secured bronze with 43.09m.
The 17-year-old Oshin trains under Virender Dabas at the Jio Institute.
She has also previously trained under Asian Games medallist Seema Antil Punia.
These experiences add an interesting dimension to her development as a young thrower.
T. Mrithika Crowned Fastest Youth Girl
Tamil Nadu enjoyed another memorable moment through T. Mrithika.
She won the women’s 100m title with a personal best of 11.76s.
Mrithika was the only athlete in the final to break the 12-second barrier.
The performance underlined her dominance in the youth sprint.
Her victory also completed a remarkable 100m sprint double for Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, Neil Samraj won the men’s 100m gold in a stunning 10.46s.
He broke India’s U18 national record for the second time on the same day.
With Samraj and Mrithika both taking gold, Tamil Nadu swept the youth 100m titles in Ludhiana.
It marked a standout day for the state’s sprinting programme.
Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, Punjab, will host the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026, a three-day competition that will also serve as the upcoming Youth Olympics 2026.
Around 650 athletes will participate across 36 events, with 18 events each for men and women.
Although the Athletics Federation of India has not announced any qualification standards, the federation may select the top 2 athletes from each event based on the best results.
A Stepping Stone for Indian Athletics
The 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 will be a stepping stone for Indian athletics, providing an opportunity to see the new stars who could feature more often in the future.
Among the events, the 100m and 200m have received the most entries across both categories.
One of the events that stands out is the women’s javelin throw, which has received around 30 entries. The strong participation looks promising when considering the future of Indian athletics.
Complete Event-Wise Bib List
The complete event-wise bib list for the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 is available below.
By Sushant Singh
The final leg of the Indian Series before the Indian Series Final is scheduled to take place on 2 September at the newly built Kailash Prakash Sports Stadium, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
The meet will be the first national-level tournament at Meerut’s first synthetic track. The city is known to have produced the most medals in athletics at the Asian level.
The Indian Series-15 has received a bumper entry, with the single-day meet featuring 24 events — 12 for men and 12 for women — and more than 600 entries.
The Men’s 100m has received the biggest entry, with around 70 athletes, followed by the Men’s 1,500m with around 65 athletes and the Men’s 400m with around 63 athletes. Together, these three events account for a significant portion of the total entries.
Athletes to Look Out For
1. Rupal Chaudhary
Asian Athletics 2025 400m silver medallist Rupal Chaudhary will finally begin her 2026 season at Indian Series-15 on 2 September in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
The 22-year-old has been out of competition since 2025 due to injury and is now set to make her long-awaited comeback.
Rupal has been training at the NCOE Trivandrum.
Sources in AFI indicate that her performance in Meerut could determine whether she gets an opportunity to compete at the Indian Series Final.
Her timings in both competitions could also put her in contention for a place in India’s women’s 4×400m relay squad for the Asian Games 2026.
2. Mijo Chacko Kurian
The 2023 Budapest World Championships relay team member will also compete in both the 200m and 400m, representing the Indian Air Force.
Chacko has clocked a season-best time of 46.15s this season, which is close to his PB of 46.10s. His SB places him 9th on the current 2026 Men’s 400m list.
The Men’s 4×400m relay team has yet to be announced officially. He will be looking to make the Top 6 this season, although he will likely need to clock a sub-46-second performance to achieve that.
3. Rishabh Nehra
The 80m javelin thrower will also be competing at this meet.
Nehra, who has been struggling with his form this season, has only managed 65.67m and has competed in just one competition.
Last season at the Open Nationals, he clinched the gold medal with a massive PB of 80.12m, joining the elite 80m club. But since then, he has failed to breach the 80m mark.
Nehra, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, will be looking to regain some of his form in his home state.
4. Harita Bhadra
The Reliance sprinter breached the 200m Asian Games standard at the Interstate Championships, registering a huge lifetime best of 23.14s in the women’s 200m.
She will be competing in the 100m at this event.
This season, she has already clocked PBs in both the 100m and 200m. It has been a very interesting season for the 23-year-old.
5. Aishwarya B
Returning after her doping ban, Aishwarya will be competing in the women’s triple jump at this meet.
This will be her third competition since her return. She made her comeback at Indian Series-13, registering a 5.63m mark to finish sixth.
In her last competition, she breached the 6m mark, registering a 6.01m jump to finish third.
By Sushant Singh
NNIS Sports yesterday broke the news that Abhishek Pal, an Asian Games-bound athlete, has tested positive for a banned substance.
Pal recently won two medals at the Inter-State Championships, which also served as an Asian Games qualification event, taking GOLD in the 10,000m and SILVER in the 5,000m.
The development is particularly significant because Pal was expected to represent India in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the upcoming Asian Games 2026.
However, the details that have emerged regarding the case make it an interesting one. According to an article in The Tribune by Vinayak Padmadeo, Pal received an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from NADA after his sample showed the presence of clomiphene.
What Is Clomiphene?
Clomiphene is a female fertility drug used to induce ovulation in women who are not ovulating and want to become pregnant.
It is also sometimes prescribed off-label for male infertility or low testosterone, as it can stimulate the body’s own LH/FSH production rather than directly replacing testosterone.
The same substance also featured in the case of V. K. Vismaya, who was part of the 2018 Asian Games gold medal-winning 4x400m relay squad and tested positive for the same substance.
She later revealed that she was three months pregnant and had been using the drug, but had failed to mention it in her Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) application.
NADA provisionally suspended her in 2024. She later challenged the TUE issue in the Kerala High Court, arguing that the circumstances surrounding her fertility treatment should be taken into account.
Then, in April 2026, the NADA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel imposed a two-year ban on her.
Why Is Clomiphene Prohibited in Sport?
However, the drug used for fertility treatment in women has other potential effects in men, particularly in relation to sports performance.
Clomiphene is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) under the category of hormone and metabolic modulators. Athletes subject to anti-doping rules can therefore test positive for it.
Clomiphene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). In simple terms, it interferes with estrogen’s feedback signal to the brain.
This alters hormonal signalling. In men, it can increase LH and FSH levels and stimulate endogenous testosterone production.
WADA places clomiphene under S4.2 — Anti-estrogenic substances, within the Hormone and Metabolic Modulators category. It is prohibited both in competition and out of competition.
What Happens Next for Abhishek Pal?
Pal has already sent his reply to NADA after it was alleged that the sample showed a concentration lower than two nanograms per millilitre (2 ng/mL), the minimum reporting level set by WADA.
If a sample shows the presence of a substance below the minimum reporting level, the agency has to investigate and determine whether it was a case of deliberate doping or was unintentional.
According to news reports, NADA investigated the finding before issuing the AAF.
The 2023 Asian Athletics Championships bronze medallist has also asked for an early hearing from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), as he is an Asian Games-bound athlete and was expected to represent India in both the 5,000m and 10,000m.
But with less than 15 days left until the Asian Games, his participation in the Asian Games appears to be under a cloud.
