Maharashtra’s Aishwarya Mishra won the women’s 400m title at the Indian Series Final, clocking a season-best 52.51 seconds.
Aishwarya held her composure in a closely contested race to take the top spot. Prachi finished second in 52.75s, while Poovamma Raju took third in 52.76s.
Aishwarya Mishra Leads Women’s 400m
The top three finishers were:
| Position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aishwarya Mishra (Maharashtra) | 52.51s |
| 2 | Prachi | 52.75s |
| 3 | Poovamma Raju | 52.76s |
The win gives Aishwarya a positive result in her season. Her 52.51s mark is her new season-best performance.
Vishal T K won the men’s 400m title at the Indian Series Final with a strong 45.36-second performance.
The final produced a remarkable display of depth, with six of the eight finalists breaking 46 seconds.
Vishal T K Leads a Fast 400m Final
Vishal topped the field in 45.36s, narrowly finishing ahead of Jay Kumar, who clocked 45.50s. Manu T S took third in 45.68s.
The top six finishers were:
| Position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vishal T K | 45.36s |
| 2 | Jay Kumar | 45.50s |
| 3 | Manu T S | 45.68s |
| 4 | Vikrant Panchal | 45.75s |
| 5 | Rajesh Ramesh | 45.80s |
| 6 | Dharamveer Choudhary | 45.83s |
The six sub-46 performances made the men’s 400m final one of the standout races of the Indian Series Final.
Vishal T K Sets Sights on Nagoya
For Vishal, the victory is another step toward bigger ambitions.
The 400m champion has set his sights on winning a medal and breaking the National Record at Nagoya. That gives him an even bigger target to chase in the upcoming competition.
With six athletes going under 46 seconds in the same final, Indian men’s 400m is entering an increasingly competitive phase.
India’s Vithya Ramraj delivered a commanding performance in the women’s 400m final at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar, storming to victory in 51.96s.
Representing Tamil Nadu, Ramraj produced a strong run to comfortably top an all-Indian podium, finishing more than half a second ahead of Prachi of Uttar Pradesh, who claimed silver in 52.57s. Karnataka’s Poovamma Raju Machettira completed the podium with 52.78s.
Women’s 400m — Final
🥇 Vithya Ramraj 🇮🇳 — 51.96s
🥈 Prachi 🇮🇳 — 52.57s
🥉 Poovamma Raju Machettira 🇮🇳 — 52.78s
4️⃣ Kiran Pahal 🇮🇳 — 52.81s
5️⃣ Rashdeep Kaur 🇮🇳 — 53.48s
6️⃣ Lakshima Mendis 🇱🇰 — 54.07s
7️⃣ Ansa Babu 🇮🇳 — 54.27s
❌ Louise Evans 🇬🇧 — DNS
Ramraj’s victory highlighted the depth of India’s women’s 400m programme, with four Indian athletes finishing inside the top four. Kiran Pahal narrowly missed the podium, crossing the line just 0.03 seconds behind Machettira.
The race also saw Sri Lanka’s Lakshima Mendis finish sixth in 54.07s, while Great Britain’s Louise Evans did not start the final.
With Ramraj leading the way in 51.96s, the Bhubaneswar meet once again showcased the strength of India’s home contingent against international competition.
For Ramraj, the gold medal adds another strong performance to her season and underlines her position among India’s leading quarter-milers as the athletics season builds towards the major championships.
India’s Mohammed Ashfaq shatters the Indian U20 national record in the men’s 400m and qualifying for the final of the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026.
The young Indian quarter-miler produced a sensational performance in the heats, finishing second in his race with a lifetime best of 45.81s, breaking his own previous Indian U20 record of 46.05s set earlier this season. The heat was won by USA’s Jayden DeLeon in 45.63s, with Ashfaq finishing just behind him in a world-class race.
His 45.81s not only secured a semifinal berth but also ranked him fourth overall among all semifinal qualifiers, putting him firmly among the leading contenders heading into the next round.
Back-to-Back Sub-PB Performances
Ashfaq returned for the semifinals and once again produced a time faster than the personal best he had brought into the championships. Running alongside Olympic champion Quincy Wilson of the United States, the Indian athlete clocked 46.00s, finishing third in his semifinal and ninth overall to secure a place in the world final.
Wilson dominated the race and recorded the fastest time across all semifinals with 45.02s, but Ashfaq showed tremendous composure under pressure to book his place in the championship decider.
Championship Progression
• PB before championships: 46.05s
• Heats: 45.81s (New Indian U20 National Record)
• Semifinal: 46.00s
Both races in Eugene were faster than the personal best Ashfaq carried into the championships, underlining the extraordinary form he has found on the global stage.
Men’s 400m Final Line-up – World Athletics U20 Championships 2026
Lane-wise line-up (Season Bests)
1. Zion Davis (BAH) – 45.64s
2. Mohammed Ashfaq (IND) – 45.81s
3. Godfred Opoku (GHA) – 45.38s
4. Malachi Austin (GUY) – 44.87s
5. Quincy Wilson (USA) – 44.84s
6. Leendert Koekemoer (RSA) – 44.94s
7. Jayden DeLeon (USA) – 44.52s
8. Kryn Romijn (NED) – 45.79s
9. Milann Klemenic (SLO) – 45.83s
Ashfaq will now line up against some of the world’s fastest junior quarter-milers, including Quincy Wilson, Jayden DeLeon, Leendert Koekemoer, and Malachi Austin, in what promises to be one of the strongest U20 400m finals in recent years.
Running out of the notoriously tight inside lane, Animesh Kujur’s campaign in the men’s 200m came to a halt with a sixth-place finish in his semi-final.
India’s national record holder Vishal TK saw his Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign come to an end in the men’s 400m semifinals, finishing sixth in the opening semifinal in 46.33 seconds.
The Indian quarter-miler was unable to reproduce the form that had carried him through the opening round, missing out on a place in the final against a high-quality field.
Qualified Comfortably from the Heats
Vishal began his campaign with a strong run in the first round, finishing second in his heat with a time of 46.49 seconds.
His performance was enough to secure qualification for the semifinals as one of the 16 fastest athletes across all heats. He finished 14th overall after the completion of the qualifying round to advance to the next stage.
It was a positive start for India’s national record holder, who looked composed as he booked his place among the semifinalists.
However, it was the end of the road for fellow Indian Rajesh Ramesh, who failed to progress after finishing 25th overall in the qualifying round.
Semifinal Challenge Proves Too Tough
In the semifinals, Vishal clocked 46.33s, an improvement on his heat performance, but it was not enough to earn a place in the medal race.
The opening semifinal was won in spectacular fashion by Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi, who stormed home in 44.52 seconds—the fastest men’s 400m semifinal ever run at the Commonwealth Games.
With the pace set at a historic level, Vishal finished sixth and bowed out of the competition.
India’s Animesh Kujur made an impressive start to his Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign, winning his opening-round heat of the men’s 200m in a season’s best 20.46 seconds to comfortably qualify for the semifinals in Glasgow.
The 22-year-old, India’s national record holder in the event and the first Indian to break the 20.50-second barrier, produced a composed performance in Heat 4, crossing the line first in legal wind conditions of +1.4 m/s.
His winning time improved his previous season’s best of 20.47s, set at the Taiwan Open, by one hundredth of a second.
Season Progress
- Taiwan Open: 20.47s (Previous Season Best)
- Commonwealth Games Round 1: 20.46s (New Season Best)
Unlike previous editions, the qualification format for the men’s 200m did not award automatic qualification based on heat positions. Instead, the 16 fastest athletes across all 10 heats advanced to the semifinals.
Animesh’s 20.46s ranked him seventh overall among all qualifiers, ensuring a comfortable progression to the next round.
Top Qualifiers for the Men’s 200m Semifinals
- Jevaughn Powell (Jamaica) – 20.28s (+2.6)
- Udodi Onwuzurike (Nigeria) – 20.31s (+2.4)
- Joseph Amoah (Ghana) – 20.36s (+1.6)
- Christopher Taylor (Jamaica) – 20.36s (+1.6)
- Zablon Ekwam (Kenya) – 20.42s (+2.0)
- Zharnel Hughes (England) – 20.45s (+1.6)
- Animesh Kujur (India) – 20.46s (+1.4)
- Lachlan Kennedy (Australia) – 20.50s (+2.6)
India’s Sprint Star Continues His Rise
Animesh arrived in Glasgow on the back of a breakthrough season that has firmly established him as India’s fastest 200m runner.
Earlier this year, he became the first Indian in history to break the 20.50-second barrier, setting a national record in the half-lap sprint. In the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, he also clocked a personal best of 10.14 seconds over 100m—the fastest time ever recorded by an Indian outside the country.
His latest performance in Glasgow suggests he is carrying that form into one of the biggest competitions of his career.
With a heat victory, a new season’s best and a place among the top eight qualifiers, Animesh has positioned himself well ahead of the semifinals, where he will look to continue his impressive run and challenge for a place in the Commonwealth Games final.
Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme delivered the performance of his life to win the men’s 100m title at the Commonwealth Games 2026, storming to a Games record and national record of 9.83 seconds in a rain-soaked Glasgow.
The 32-year-old, who only took up athletics at the age of 24, produced a sensational run into a legal +1.3 m/s wind to become Commonwealth champion and cement his place among Africa’s greatest sprinters.
Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy pushed Eseme all the way, clocking 9.85 seconds to take silver while breaking Australia’s 23-year-old national record. Nigeria’s Kayinsola Ajayi, just 21 years old, claimed bronze in 9.90 seconds, securing Nigeria’s first Commonwealth Games medal in the men’s 100m in two decades.
Men’s 100m Final
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 9.83 (Games Record & Cameroon National Record)- Lachlan Kennedy (Australia) – 9.85 (Australian Record)
- Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.90
Emmanuel Eseme (Cameroon) – 9.83 (Games Record & Cameroon National Record)
Lachlan Kennedy (Australia) – 9.85 (Australian Record)
Kayinsola Ajayi (Nigeria) – 9.90In one of the fastest Commonwealth Games finals ever, four athletes broke the 10-second barrier despite heavy rain, highlighting the exceptional quality of the race.
A Remarkable Journey
Eseme’s triumph is the culmination of an extraordinary journey.
Unlike most elite sprinters, the Cameroonian only began athletics at 24 years of age, making his rise to the top of the Commonwealth podium all the more remarkable. His winning time of 9.83 seconds not only shattered the Games record but also improved his own standing among the continent’s sprint greats, moving him to third on the African all-time list.
The victory also ended a long wait for Cameroon, delivering the country’s first Commonwealth Games track gold medal in two decades.
Kennedy Rewrites Australian Record Books
Silver medallist Lachlan Kennedy also produced a career-defining performance.
His 9.85-second run eclipsed Australia’s long-standing national record, which had stood for 23 years, underlining the emergence of a new force in Australian sprinting.
Historic Bronze for Nigeria
For Kayinsola Ajayi, the bronze medal represented more than a place on the podium.
The 21-year-old became the first Nigerian man to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the 100m since Olusoji Fasuba claimed silver at the 2006 Melbourne Games, ending a 20-year wait for one of Africa’s traditional sprinting powerhouses.
With records falling, national milestones achieved and one of the deepest sprint finals in Commonwealth Games history, the Glasgow men’s 100m final will be remembered as a race that showcased a new generation of global sprinting talent while crowning an unlikely champion whose journey began later than almost anyone could have imagined.
New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs produced the sprint performance of her career to win the women’s 100m title at the Commonwealth Games 2026, storming to gold in a sensational 10.93 seconds and rewriting the Oceania record books in Glasgow.
The 28-year-old Auckland sprinter clocked 10.93 (+1.0 m/s) to break her own New Zealand and Oceania records, pulling clear in the closing metres to defeat England’s Amy Hunt, who claimed silver in 10.98, while Australia’s Torrie Lewis took bronze in a national record 10.99.
Remarkably, all three medallists dipped below the 11-second barrier, making it the first time in Commonwealth Games history that every athlete on the women’s 100m podium has broken 11 seconds.
The race was decided by the finest of margins, with just 0.06 seconds separating gold from bronze.
Women’s 100m Final
- Zoe Hobbs (New Zealand) – 10.93 (Oceania & New Zealand Record)
- Amy Hunt (England) – 10.98
- Torrie Lewis (Australia) – 10.99 (Australian Record)
Despite wet conditions that made the Glasgow track slick underfoot, the trio delivered one of the fastest and deepest women’s 100m finals in Commonwealth Games history.
For Hobbs, the victory marked the crowning moment of an outstanding championship. Draped in the New Zealand flag after crossing the finish line, she celebrated not only a Commonwealth title but also another improvement to the Oceania record she already owned.
Hunt Continues Her Rise
England’s Amy Hunt enjoyed a memorable Commonwealth Games debut, finishing just five hundredths of a second behind Hobbs.
Her 10.98-second performance was the second-fastest 100m of her career, underlining her continued rise among the world’s elite sprinters. The silver medal also rewarded her consistency throughout the championship after progressing confidently through the earlier rounds.
Lewis Breaks Australian Record
Australia’s Torrie Lewis capped a remarkable championship by lowering the Australian national record to 10.99 seconds to secure bronze.
Lewis had already announced her form in the semifinals with an 11.00-second national record before finding another hundredth of a second in the final to become the first Australian woman to break the 11-second barrier at the Commonwealth Games.
The Glasgow final will be remembered as one of the greatest women’s sprints in Commonwealth Games history—a race where records tumbled, history was made, and three athletes simultaneously broke one of sprinting’s most iconic barriers
