Australian sprint prodigy Gout Gout will miss next month’s World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene after suffering a Grade 3 hamstring tear in training, bringing his breakthrough 2026 season to an abrupt end.

The 18-year-old confirmed that scans revealed significant tendon involvement in his left hamstring, ruling him out for the remainder of the year as he begins rehabilitation with an eye on a return in 2027.

The injury is a major setback for one of athletics’ fastest-rising stars. Earlier this year, Gout clocked 19.67 seconds to win the Australian title, breaking the World U20 record, the Oceanian record, and the long-standing Australian national record in the 200m. The performance placed him 16th on the all-time world list.

His rise has been equally impressive over 100m. In February, he equalled the fastest legal time ever run by an Australian on home soil with 10.00 seconds, setting a new Australian U20 record.

Gout arrived in 2026 as the overwhelming favourite for the World U20 200m title after claiming silver at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima. He had also opted to skip the Commonwealth Games to prioritise the junior global championships.

Despite the setback, Gout remains one of the brightest prospects in global sprinting. At just 18, he is already the World U20 200m record holder, an Australian champion and a World U20 silver medallist, with his focus now shifting entirely to recovery ahead of the 2027 season

India’s contingent for the Moore-Guldensporenmeeting, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze (Category C) meet to be held in Kortrijk, Belgium on July 11, has grown to eight athletes after five more names were confirmed on the start lists.

Joining the three Indians who had already entered the meet are Priya Mohan (400m), Pranjali Dilip Patil (100m hurdles), Suchitra S. (100m & 200m), Muhammed Lazan (110m hurdles) and Aryan Kashyapa (400m).

The updated entry list also includes Subhas Das (400m), M. Pulikkalakath (800m) and V. Thennarasu Thayalvizhi (400m), taking India’s representation to eight athletes across sprint, hurdles and middle-distance events.

The World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze circuit provides valuable ranking points and international competition for athletes looking to improve their global standing and qualification prospects ahead of major championships.

With a mix of established senior athletes and emerging talent, the Belgium meet offers another opportunity for Indian athletes to test themselves against quality international fields during the European athletics season.

By Sushant Singh

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), ending a sanction that had been in place since October 2023 after the ROC incorporated regional sports organisations from occupied Ukrainian territories into its membership.

The IOC has also withdrawn its recommendations restricting the participation of Russian athletes and teams in international competitions. As qualification for the LA 2028 Olympic Games begins, those guidelines are no longer applicable.

However, the IOC clarified that Russian athletes seeking to return to international competition must continue to meet strict anti-doping requirements, and the organisation will closely monitor compliance.

The IOC also confirmed that it will not stage events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to IOC events. A decision regarding the use of the Russian flag, anthem, and other national symbols at future Olympic Games will be taken at a later stage.

World Athletics Maintains Ban

Despite the IOC’s move, World Athletics has reaffirmed that its position remains unchanged. Russian and Belarusian athletes continue to be banned from all competitions organised under the World Athletics calendar, making them ineligible for the World Athletics Series, the Diamond League, and all other World Athletics events.

The differing positions mean that while the IOC has eased its restrictions ahead of the LA 2028 qualification period, Russian track and field athletes remain excluded from international athletics competitions until World Athletics decides otherwise.

 

India will field a strong men’s long jump team at the Commonwealth Games 2026, with Murali Sreeshankar and Lokesh Sathyanathan carrying the nation’s medal hopes in one of the most competitive field events on the programme.

Sreeshankar enters the Games in outstanding form after producing a sensational 8.38m jump earlier this season. The effort currently stands as the best mark among all Commonwealth athletes in 2026, highlighting his status as one of the leading contenders for the gold medal. His performance also reaffirmed his return to top form ahead of the Games and demonstrated that he is once again capable of competing with the world’s best.

The Commonwealth season list places Tajay Gayle of Jamaica just behind Sreeshankar with 8.37m, while India’s Shahnavaz Khan occupies third place with an impressive 8.30m. However, among the athletes ahead on the rankings, only Gayle has been selected in Jamaica’s Commonwealth Games squad. Australia’s Liam Adcock, who has jumped 8.26m, has also secured selection for his national team.

India’s second representative, Lokesh Sathyanathan, enters the Games with a season’s best of 8.21m, which ranks him eighth among Commonwealth athletes this season. Importantly, among the athletes confirmed for Glasgow, Lokesh is the next-highest ranked competitor after Sreeshankar, giving India two genuine contenders capable of challenging for the podium.

The combination of Sreeshankar’s world-class consistency and Lokesh’s steady progression gives India one of its strongest long jump squads in recent Commonwealth Games history. Both athletes have demonstrated the ability to compete at a high level throughout the season and will be aiming to convert that form into success on the international stage.

With two in-form jumpers and both ranked among the leading Commonwealth performers of the season, India heads to Glasgow with realistic medal ambitions in the men’s long jump. If Sreeshankar and Lokesh reproduce their season’s best performances, Indian athletics could be celebrating another memorable outing in the sand pit.

For more visit Commonwealth Games 2026

 

India’s national record holder in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Parul Chaudhary, heads into the 2026 Commonwealth Games as one of the country’s strongest medal contenders after an impressive start to the season.

Parul has opened her 2026 campaign by clocking 9:12.84, finishing just 0.38 seconds outside her personal best and Indian national record of 9:12.46. The performance underlines her consistency at the highest level and suggests she is in excellent form ahead of the year’s major championships.

Her season-best currently ranks fourth among Commonwealth athletes in 2026, placing her firmly in contention in what promises to be one of the most competitive events at the Games.

The Commonwealth season list is led by Peruth Chemutai of Uganda, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, who has recorded a world-class 8:51.06. Close behind is Faith Cherotich of Kenya, the reigning world champion, with 8:51.48. Great Britain’s Elise Thorner occupies third place with 9:07.39, while Parul’s 9:12.84 places her ahead of Kenya’s Doris Lemngole, who rounds out the top five with 9:18.66.

The presence of Olympic and world champions makes the women’s steeplechase one of the strongest events on the Commonwealth Games programme. However, Parul has consistently established herself among the leading athletes in Asia and continues to close the gap on the world’s best through her steady progression over recent seasons.

With her national record still fresh and her early-season performance already among the top marks in the Commonwealth this year, Parul enters the Games with genuine medal aspirations. If she can reproduce—or improve upon—her personal best on the biggest stage, she will be well placed to challenge the continent’s finest and add another major international achievement to her career.

As the countdown to the Commonwealth Games continues, Parul Chaudhary remains one of India’s most exciting athletes to watch in the pursuit of podium success.

By Sushant Singh

Another blow for Indian athletics as NNIS Sports has learned that India’s current fastest U20 women’s 100m sprinter, Nipam, has tested positive for a banned substance.
Nipam began her 2026 season by registering a lifetime best of 11.53s at the Junior Federation Cup 2026, shattering the Indian U20 women’s 100m national record. The meet also served as the qualifying event for the 2026 Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
She then went on to win two medals at the 2026 Asian U20 Athletics Championships, claiming bronze in the women’s 100m with 11.62s and silver in the women’s 4x100m relay as India clocked 45.05s.

However, her in-competition sample collected at the Junior Federation Cup later returned positive. According to sources, her out-of-competition sample collected during the Asian U20 preparatory camp at SAI, Bengaluru, also tested positive.
When NNIS Sports reached out to Nipam, she said:

“I changed my supplement, and I am sure it is because of that. I have submitted the supplement and all the relevant details to NADA’s office.”

She further added:

“They have asked for the GST bill and all the other documents, which I am arranging and will be submitting to NADA.”

As per NADA’s documents, Nipam was tested in competition on 24 April 2026 at the Junior Federation Cup in Tumakuru, Karnataka. Her sample was reported to contain Stanozolol metabolites: 3-hydroxy stanozolol, 16 beta-hydroxy stanozolol, Stanozolol-1N-glucuronide, and 17-epistanozolol-1N-glucuronide.

She was also tested out of competition on 12 May 2026 during the Asian U20 preparatory camp at SAI, Bengaluru. That sample reportedly contained Stanozolol metabolites: 16 beta-hydroxy stanozolol, Stanozolol-1N-glucuronide, and 17-epistanozolol-1N-glucuronide.
Both samples reportedly tested positive for Stanozolol, which is classified under S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids on WADA’s Prohibited List.

 

Nipam said she had purchased a supplement called Ecdysterone Gold from a shop near her home. The product is marketed as a sports nutrition supplement containing ecdysterone (20-hydroxyecdysone), a naturally occurring phytoecdysteroid found in plants such as spinach, quinoa, Rhaponticum carthamoides, and Cyanotis species. It is promoted as a “natural anabolic” supplement for muscle growth and strength.
Ecdysterone itself is not currently prohibited by WADA.

 

It is included in WADA’s 2026 Monitoring Program, meaning the agency is collecting data on its use and prevalence. Inclusion in the Monitoring Program does not mean the substance is prohibited.
Whether the supplement was contaminated or contained any prohibited substance will only become clear after laboratory testing of the supplement.

 

As the Commonwealth Games 2026 approach, Tejaswin Shankar has emerged as one of India’s brightest medal prospects in athletics. The versatile decathlete heads to Glasgow in outstanding form after rewriting the Indian national record with 8,057 points, becoming the first Indian ever to surpass the 8,000-point mark in the demanding ten-event discipline.

His performance has also placed him among the world’s leading decathletes this season. Among athletes from Commonwealth Games nations, only Canada’s Damian Warner (8,497 points) and Pierce LePage (8,117 points) have recorded higher scores, with Shankar sitting third on the season list ahead of Nigeria’s Jami Schlueter (8,024 points) and Great Britain’s Callum Newby (7,867 points).

Notably, although Canada occupies the top two positions in the rankings, only Damian Warner has been selected for Canada’s Commonwealth Games decathlon squad, making Shankar one of the leading contenders for a place on the podium.

With confidence, consistency, and history already on his side, Tejaswin Shankar will carry India’s hopes in one of athletics’ toughest events when the Commonwealth Games 2026 take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August. A medal-winning performance would further cement his status as one of India’s finest all-round athletes.

In the last Edition Tejaswin won Bronze in Men’s High Jump.

By Sundeep Misra

A couple of black ravens flew over the Kalinga Stadium, perched on the scoreboard, and watched Rohit Yadav launch an 87.05m javelin throw into the night sky. It was the second-best throw in the global top list at the time. Cheering him on was a grand total of about 25 hostel kids. At this rate, the birds practically made up half the demographic.

​Gazing across the arena during the National Inter-State Championships, a depressing numbers issue emerged: the judges, media, and officials easily outnumbered the people in the stands. National records were breaking like stones in a quarry. Jyothi Yarraji blazed down the hurdles, Anushka shattered the hammer throw record at 67.02m, and Sarvesh Kushare cleared 2.31m in the high jump. The applause? Mild, polite, and at times none. If a national record falls in an empty stadium, does it make a sound?

​Right now, Indian track and field is experiencing an unprecedented competitive renaissance. Yet, our premier domestic meets feel less ‘premier’ and more like quiet corporate events. Political rallies can mobilize thousands of citizens with a few hours’ notice, but continental-class athletics meet can’t seem to beat a local grocery store opening.

​The problem isn’t public apathy; it’s a design flaw. The system treats these meets strictly as selection trials. Fans aren’t just missing; they’re uninvited. The sentiment seems to be that the spectator is a beast who is simply not required.

Across the world, track meets are turned into lifestyle festivals. In Japan, domestic meets pull massive, vibrant crowds by integrating cheering squads, thumping school brass bands. In Taiwan, domestic opens double as weekend carnivals, bringing in food stalls and hosting youth clinics on the sidelines to ensure families treat athletics as a prime-time evening out.

Understandable that cultures are different. Yet, someone needs to try. Meanwhile, at our Inter-State meet, even the local media was conspicuous by its absence.

​​Fixing this isn’t rocket science, it’s basic event management. One needs to build a pipeline. Fill the stands by busing in local school kids, even from nearby towns, villages who might want a break from the usual cricket monoculture or just give them a big-city break. Set up a free selfie booth where fans can get a digital souvenir mailed to them. Let the athletes feel the emotional rush of a roaring crowd instead of the echo of their own winning scream.

​The inevitable bureaucratic retort will be, “How much can we do?” But transforming these quiet trials into vibrant cultural events isn’t a favour to the athletes, it’s the bare minimum they deserve, in reality they are the ones propping up the system; because of them national anthems play. Not because of the suits or the host states. Until the system decides to prioritize the spectator, Indian athletics will keep breaking records in the dark, with only the ravens to bear witness.

By Sushant singh ~

India’s Sports Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, has taken one of the biggest decisions in the country’s fight against doping. The Centre has proposed amendments to the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, to criminalise organised doping-related activities.

The proposed amendments are expected to be introduced during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) placing the draft Bill in the public domain for public feedback.

The amendments seek to criminalise organised doping networks by targeting the trafficking, illegal supply, administration, and commercial distribution of prohibited performance-enhancing substances and methods.

When the proposal to criminalise organised doping first came into the picture, many athletes and coaches contacted NNIS Sports seeking clarity. The biggest question was whether athletes who test positive would face imprisonment.

The Ministry has now clarified that the proposed law is not aimed at athletes who merely test positive for a prohibited substance. Instead, it specifically targets those involved in organised doping operations.

The proposed offences include:

The government has made it clear that athletes will not be treated as criminals simply for committing an anti-doping rule violation. Unless an athlete is found to be involved in offences such as trafficking, organised supply, or other criminal activities, their cases will continue to be dealt with under the existing anti-doping framework.

The Ministry has also stated that the proposed amendments are in line with India’s commitments under the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport and are consistent with the approach endorsed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

It is worth noting that after Parliament passed the National Anti-Doping Act in 2022, WADA raised concerns that certain provisions were not fully compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. The objections primarily related to:

The new draft amendments are expected to address these concerns while also strengthening India’s legal framework against organised doping.

WHY DOES INDIA NEED TO CRIMINALISE ORGANISED DOPING?

India continues to face a serious doping challenge. The country topped the list of global doping offenders in the Athletics Integrity Unit’s (AIU) June 2026 report and has consistently ranked among the countries with the highest number of anti-doping rule violations in WADA statistics over the years.

During the recent WADA Summit held in Delhi, WADA President Witold Bańka said the global body is closely monitoring India’s anti-doping measures and resources. He also pledged a comprehensive and coordinated crackdown on the supply chain of banned substances.

Bańka also confirmed that WADA will collaborate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the Sports Ministry moves to criminalise doping suppliers.

It is also worth noting that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) this year has placed India in Category A, indicating an “extremely high” risk of doping.

Another major concern has been the open sale and promotion of prohibited substances on several social media platforms in India. Many pages have openly advertised and sold banned performance-enhancing substances with little or no enforcement action. If the proposed amendments become law, such individuals and networks could face criminal prosecution.

The punishment for these offences will be determined under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), depending on the nature and seriousness of the offence.

With India’s current global standing and the growing number of doping positives, these amendments could mark a significant shift from merely punishing athletes to dismantling the criminal networks that fuel doping in Indian sport.

The big question now is: Will criminalising organised doping finally help curb this menace and improve India’s image on the international sporting stage?

Lamont Marcell Jacobs delivered the most eye-catching sprint performance of the 2026 season so far, clocking 9.67 seconds to win the men’s 100m at the Austrian Open in Eisenstadt on Wednesday — a time that, wind assistance aside, puts his name in extraordinarily rare company.

The +4.1 m/s tailwind rules the performance out of the official record books. But it does nothing to diminish what the Olympic champion produced. Cast across the entire history of the 100 metres — wind-legal or wind-assisted — only Usain Bolt’s 9.58 and 9.63 sit above it. Everyone else is further back. Jacobs now occupies the space between Bolt and the rest of the world.

How the Race Unfolded

It was not a flawless performance from the Italian. His start was sluggish, and through the opening 30 metres he had rivals alongside him — Romell Glave of Great Britain and Wayde van Niekerk, the South African who still holds the 400m world record, both pushed Jacobs through the early phase of the race.

But Jacobs is a closer. His ability to generate top-end speed and sustain it through the final third of a 100m race is what separates him from almost everyone on the planet, and it showed. He picked off both rivals, hit the line around a metre clear, and clocked a time that had the Eisenstadt crowd buzzing.

Glave crossed second in 9.76, van Niekerk third in 9.83. Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu ran 9.99 for fourth, Germany’s Owen Ansah 10.00 for fifth, and local athlete Markus Fuchs finished sixth in 10.09.

Jacobs had already looked sharp earlier in the evening, winning his heat in a wind-assisted 9.84. The final was not so much a surprise as a confirmation.

Race Results Table

Pos

Athlete

Time

1

Marcell Jacobs

9.67 (+4.1)

2

Romell Glave

9.76

3

Wayde Niekerk

9.83

4

Yoshihide Kiryu

9.99

5

Owen Ansah

10.00

6

Markus Fuchs

10.09

The Bigger Picture

The wind-assisted caveat is worth noting but not worth dwelling on. At 4.1 m/s, the conditions were well beyond legal limits — which is why the time carries an asterisk. But sprinters at elite level don’t manufacture 9.67s from nowhere. The fitness, the mechanics, and the speed are real, regardless of what the wind was doing.

What this performance signals is that Jacobs is building towards something significant. A legally timed race at a major championship, if his form holds, could produce a performance that does enter the record books.

At the finish line, Jacobs was visibly elated — celebrating with the crowd before making his way down the line to embrace each of his competitors. The Olympic champion at his best is as generous in victory as he is devastating in the race itself.

The sprint world has been put on notice.