Animesh Kujur To Miss National Open Athletics Championships, With Asian Games In Sight

The sprinters will be in the spotlight at the 64th National Open Athletics Championships starting here on Saturday, as the national federation plans to select the probables for the 4x100m relay squad for the 2026 Asian Games based on the performances at the four-day meet.

Odisha sprinter Animesh Kujur, who holds the national record in both the 100m and 200m, will miss the meet as he recently competed in the World Championships in Tokyo.

“Probables in the men’s and women’s 100m groups will be shortlisted for the national 4x100m relay squad in preparation for the 2026 Asian Games,” said chief national athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair.

In addition to selecting the top six sprinters during the championships, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI)

will include two more athletes in the 4x100m relay group based on overall performance in 2025, Nair added.

“Top sprinters will be brought together to prepare for the 2026 Asian Games,” Nair said. “The men’s team will train in Mumbai, while the women’s team will be based in Trivandrum.”

The Asian Games are scheduled to take place from September 19 to October 14 in Japan.

Meanwhile, 40 athletes have registered for the men’s 100m event. Among the prominent sprinters are Tamil Nadu’s Ragul Kumar G, Army’s former national record holder Manikanta Hoblidhar, and Amlan Borgohain representing Railways.

The preliminary round will commence on the opening day, Saturday.

The day will begin with the medal round in the men’s and women’s 5,000m. Unseasonal rain on Friday has lowered the local temperature, which will be advantageous for the distance athletes.

Other finals scheduled for Saturday include pole vault (men), discus throw (women), and triple jump (women).

The AFI has mandated that all state units compete in approved sports kits during the meet. Athletes have also been advised to wear proper sports kits during medal ceremonies.

More than 700 athletes will participate in the domestic track and field competition.

(With agency inputs)