The South Zone athletics 2026 results have a clear headline: Tamil Nadu won the overall title at the 37th South Zone Junior Athletics Championships in Puducherry, while Karnataka finished second. More than 1,500 athletes from seven states and union territories competed over three days at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.
However, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has not yet published the complete result sheets for this meet. This page therefore lists every result that published reports have confirmed so far, along with the source for each one. We will also add the full event-wise results here as soon as the official sheets are out.
South Zone Junior Athletics Championships 2026 at a glance
- Dates: 16 to 18 September 2026
- Venue: Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Uppalam, Puducherry
- Overall champions: Tamil Nadu
- Runners-up: Karnataka
- Teams: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana
- Age groups: Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and Under 20
- Meet records confirmed so far: four
Jump to: Overall title Meet records Medal winners Teams and age groups What comes next Official results
South Zone athletics 2026 results: Tamil Nadu take the overall title
Tamil Nadu finished first in the overall standings, and Karnataka took second place. Dinamalar reported the result after the closing ceremony in Puducherry. However, the points table is not public yet, so the final scores of the seven teams are still unknown.
Karnataka’s challenge also came with records. For example, athletes from Alva’s in Moodbidri won 26 medals and set five meet records, according to Udayavani.
Meet records at the South Zone athletics 2026 championships
Four meet records are confirmed so far. Above all, two of them had stood for more than 20 years.
| Event | Athlete | Team | New record | Old record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U20 women’s heptathlon | Tholem Sriteja | Telangana | 4,965 points | 4,817 points (1994) |
| U20 men’s hammer throw | Salim | Karnataka | 64.09m | 62.44m (2003) |
| U20 women’s 3000m steeplechase | K. Swapna | Telangana | 11:25.39 | Not reported |
| U18 women’s javelin throw | J.V. Joshna | Tamil Nadu | Not reported | Stood for four years |
Tholem Sriteja breaks a 32-year-old heptathlon record
Tholem Sriteja of Telangana scored 4,965 points in the U20 women’s heptathlon. As a result, she broke the record of 4,817 points that Sumavathi of Karnataka had set in 1994. Sriteja is 19 and comes from Bhadrachalam. She also won the heptathlon gold at the 2025 National Junior Championships, according to Telangana Today.
Salim throws 64.09m in the hammer
Salim, from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, won the U20 men’s hammer throw with 64.09m. That throw beat a South Zone record of 62.44m, which had stood since 2003.
Records for K. Swapna and J.V. Joshna
In addition, K. Swapna of Telangana set a meet record of 11:25.39 in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. J.V. Joshna of Tamil Nadu also won the U18 women’s javelin throw. In doing so, she broke a record that had stood for four years.
South Zone athletics 2026 results: confirmed medal winners
The table below lists every medal that published reports have confirmed. However, it is not the full result list, because AFI has not released the official sheets yet.
| Athlete | Event | Medal | Mark | Age group | Team or institution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tholem Sriteja | Heptathlon | GOLD | 4,965 pts (record) | U20 women | Telangana |
| Salim | Hammer throw | GOLD | 64.09m (record) | U20 men | Karnataka |
| K. Swapna | 3000m steeplechase | GOLD | 11:25.39 (record) | U20 women | Telangana |
| J.V. Joshna | Javelin throw | GOLD | Record; mark not reported | U18 women | Tamil Nadu |
| Nallavelli Anandi | 400m | GOLD | 56.42 | U18 women | Telangana |
| Nallavelli Anandi | 200m | BRONZE | 25.66 | U18 women | Telangana |
| Anandi (relay team) | Medley relay | BRONZE | – | U18 women | Telangana |
| Santhosh Krishnan | 80m hurdles | GOLD | 10.50 | U16 boys | Tamil Nadu |
| Sai Aditya | 600m | GOLD | 1:24 | U16 boys | Telangana |
| Sai Aditya (relay team) | Medley relay | GOLD | – | U16 boys | Telangana |
| Uday Kiran | Long jump | GOLD | 6.86m | Not reported | Telangana |
| Sushant Reddy | 3000m steeplechase | BRONZE | – | U20 men | Telangana |
| Manoj | 5000m | BRONZE | – | U20 men | Telangana |
| Sakshi Christina Karkada (relay team) | Medley relay | GOLD | – | U18 women | Karnataka |
| Sakshi Christina Karkada | 100m hurdles | BRONZE | – | U18 women | Karnataka |
| Amirtha J | 3000m | GOLD | – | U20 women | PSGR Krishnammal College, Coimbatore |
| Brinda A | High jump | GOLD | – | U20 women | PSGR Krishnammal College, Coimbatore |
| Brinda A (relay team) | 4x100m relay | GOLD | – | U20 women | PSGR Krishnammal College, Coimbatore |
| Yuvan Sharavan | 400m | GOLD | – | U20 men | PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore |
| Yuvan Sharavan | 400m hurdles | SILVER | – | U20 men | PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore |
| Yuvan Sharavan (relay team) | 4x400m relay | SILVER | – | U20 men | PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore |
How to read this table. Where a report did not give the age group, we have taken it from the official programme. For example, the 600m is only run in the Under 16 group, and the 400m hurdles only in the Under 20 group. A dash means the report did not give a time or distance.
Tamil Nadu
Santhosh Krishnan won the U16 boys’ 80m hurdles in 10.50 seconds. He trains at the SDAT sports hostel in Madurai. In addition, three athletes from Coimbatore colleges won gold. Brinda A won the high jump and the 4x100m relay, while Amirtha J won the U20 women’s 3000m. Yuvan Sharavan also won the 400m, and then took silver in the 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay.
Telangana
Telangana athletes feature heavily in the confirmed results. Nallavelli Anandi won the U18 women’s 400m in 56.42 seconds, and then added bronze in the 200m in 25.66. Similarly, Uday Kiran won the long jump with 6.86m, while Sai Aditya won the 600m and a medley relay gold.
Karnataka
Sakshi Christina Karkada of Mangaluru won gold in the U18 medley relay as well as bronze in the U18 100m hurdles. She now plans to compete at the junior nationals in Chennai, according to Daijiworld.
Who competed: teams, age groups and rules
Seven teams make up the South Zone: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Each of them could enter two athletes per event in each age group. In addition, an athlete could take part in two individual events.
| Age group | Born between |
|---|---|
| Under 14 | 19 September 2012 and 18 September 2014 |
| Under 16 | 19 September 2010 and 18 September 2012 |
| Under 18 | 19 September 2008 and 18 September 2010 |
| Under 20 | 19 September 2006 and 18 September 2008 |
The programme covered track events, field events, combined events and relays, so every age group had its own set of events. You can still see the timetable on the AFI page for the meet.
What comes next after the South Zone athletics 2026 meet
The junior season now moves to the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships. Chennai will host that meet at the JN Stadium from 23 to 27 October 2026. Online entries close on 9 October, and every athlete needs the AFI entry standard for the event. Therefore, athletes and coaches should check their South Zone marks against the entry standards in the AFI circular before the deadline.
Meanwhile, senior athletes are in action this week at the National Open Athletics Championships 2026 in New Delhi.
Official South Zone athletics 2026 result sheets: current status
As of 5 October 2026, the AFI results archive has the North Zone Junior results. However, it does not yet have the South, East or West Zone results. Until AFI publishes them, these links are the most useful:
Last year: South Zone 2025 in Guntur
Guntur hosted the 36th edition from 23 to 25 September 2025. Neil Samraj of Tamil Nadu won the U18 100m there in 10.86 seconds. Since then, he has broken the U18 100m national record twice in one day. Similarly, Mohammed Ashfaq of Kerala won the U20 400m in 47.31 seconds.
That is why the South Zone meet matters. It is often the first place where the next national record holder wins a title.