With the curtains coming down on the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) now faces the task of selecting the country’s athletics squad for the 2026 Asian Games.
While the official team is yet to be announced, the Inter-State Championships were the final domestic qualification event, making performances in Bhubaneswar the biggest indicator of who is likely to wear the India jersey
From certain selections to fiercely contested events where multiple athletes achieved the qualification standard, here’s NNIS Sports’ predicted Indian athletics team for Nagoya 2026.
Men’s Events
200m
Animesh Kujur: The fastest man of the championships completed the sprint double, winning both the 100m and 200m. While he narrowly missed the qualifying mark in the shorter sprint, his 20.74s in the 200m comfortably sealed his place
400m
Vishal TK, Manu TS: No event had greater depth. Seven athletes achieved the qualification standard across the rounds, but Vishal TK (45.43s) and Manu TS (45.60s) were the two fastest in the final and are favourites for the individual event. More quarter-milers are expected to join the relay squad
800m
Mohammed Afsal, Krishan Kumar* – Afsal confirmed his place with another national title. The second berth remains the toughest call. Krishan Kumar and Mogali Venkatram both have strong cases, although Mogali’s likely participation at the World U20 Championships could tilt the balance in Krishan’s favour.
1500m
Yoonus Shah, Gulveer Singh: Both men went under the qualification mark while rewriting the meet record in one of the fastest 1500m races seen at the Inter-State Championships.
110m Hurdles
Expected: Tejas Shirse: A straightforward selection. The national record holder qualified comfortably before winning another national title.
400m Hurdles
Yashas Palaksha, Santhosh Kumar: One of the races of the championships. Both clocked an identical 49.14s while breaking the meet record and comfortably qualifying.
High Jump
Sarvesh Kushare, Aadarsh Ram: Kushare rewrote history with a new national record of 2.31m. Asian Indoor medallist Aadarsh Ram also cleared the qualification mark.
Pole Vault
Dev Meena: Another national record, another milestone. Dev Meena improved his own Indian record for the fifth time this season to virtually seal his berth.
Long Jump
Murali Sreeshankar, Shahnavaz Khan: Both comfortably cleared the qualifying standard to book what should be straightforward selections.
Triple Jump
Praveen Chithravel, Karthik Unnikrishnan: Despite six athletes achieving the AFI standard, the gold and silver medallists are expected to earn the individual berths.
Other Likely Men’s Selections
Shot Put: Karanveer Singh, Samardeep Gill
Hammer Throw: Damneet Singh, Praveen Kumar
Javelin Throw: Rohit Yadav (along with exempt athlete Neeraj Chopra)
Decathlon: Thowfeeq, Kushal Mohite
Women’s Events
200m: Harita Bhadra, Unnathi Bollanda
400m: Prachi, Kiran Pahal
800m: Gowthami, Pooja
100m Hurdles: Jyothi Yarraji, Nandhini K
400m Hurdles: Vithya Ramraj, Anu R
3000m Steeplechase: Ankita Dhyani
High Jump: Pooja, Supriya B
Pole Vault: Sindhushree G, Baranica Elangovan
Long Jump: Ancy Sojan, Shaili Singh
Triple Jump: Asha Illango
Shot Put: Manpreet Kaur, Krishna Jayashankar
Discus Throw: Seema, Sanya Yadav
Hammer Throw: Anushka Yadav
Heptathlon: Pooja
Exempt Athletes
Athletes who were granted exemption from competing at the Inter-State Championships—most notably Neeraj Chopra (Javelin) and Parul Chaudhary (3000m SC)—are also expected to be included in the final squad based on their international performances and qualification status.
It is also expected that some long-distance runners and race walkers who finished in the top two at the Interstate Championships but were unable to achieve the Asian Games qualification standards could still be considered for selection. The championships were held in extremely challenging weather conditions in Bhubaneswar, particularly for endurance events, and the selection committee may take those conditions into account while finalising the squad.
The Final Call
While many events produced clear winners, others—particularly the men’s 400m, 800m and relay pool—have left the selectors with difficult decisions.
The Inter-State Championships have done their job. The athletes have made their case.
Now all eyes turn to the AFI Selection Committee.
Who makes the final cut for Nagoya? We’ll know soon enough.
Disclaimer: This is NNIS Sports’ projected squad based on qualification standards, performances at the Inter-State Championships and existing selection criteria. The final Indian team will be announced by the Athletics Federation of India.