The women’s 100m final at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2026 produced an exciting contest, with Maharashtra’s Sudeshna Shivankar sprinting to the national title in a time of 11.59s.
Sudeshna delivered a powerful performance from the start, maintaining her momentum through the finish to secure the gold medal. Her winning time left her agonisingly close to achieving the Asian Games qualification standard of 11.54s, missing the mark by just 0.05 seconds.
Despite narrowly falling short of the qualification benchmark, Sudeshna’s performance was one of the standout sprint displays of the championships. Her ability to produce a sub-11.60-second run under championship pressure highlighted her growing stature in Indian women’s sprinting and reaffirmed her position among the country’s leading short-distance athletes.
The race also witnessed an impressive performance from Karnataka’s Sneha SS, who claimed the silver medal after clocking 11.65s. Sneha remained in contention throughout the race and produced a strong finish to secure second place, adding another quality performance to an increasingly competitive domestic sprint circuit.
The women’s 100m final showcased the rising standard of sprinting in India, with the leading athletes pushing each other to faster times. The close competition between Sudeshna and Sneha reflected the depth emerging in the event and provided an encouraging sign for Indian athletics ahead of future international competitions.
While the Asian Games qualification mark remained just out of reach, Sudeshna’s victory demonstrated that Indian sprinters are continuing to close the gap on international standards. Missing the benchmark by only five hundredths of a second serves as motivation as she looks ahead to upcoming competitions.
With Sudeshna Shivankar claiming the national title in commanding fashion and Sneha SS producing a strong silver-medal performance, the women’s 100m final stood out as one of the most competitive track events of the Interstate Championships, offering plenty of optimism for the future of Indian sprinting.