Federation Cup 2026: Five Major Indian Athletics Stars Missing Ranchi Meet

Star athletes like Murali Sreeshankar, Annu Rani, Sachin Yadav, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Sarvesh Kushare, Vishal TK and Tejaswin Shankar will headline a strong field of Indian athletes at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition 2026 in Ranchi from May 22 to 25.

This year's edition at Birsa Munda Stadium will serve as the only selection trial for the Commonwealth Games 2026, which will be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2.

But apart from these athletes, there are some Indian stars who will not participate in the competition. Here are five names:

1). MANIKANTA HOBLIDHAR (MEN'S 100M): India's second-fastest 100m sprinter of all time, Manikanta Hoblidhar, will miss the Federation Cup in Ranchi.

The World University Games bronze medallist

suffered a hamstring injury while running the third leg during the National Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh.

His difficult start to the season continued after he was disqualified in his season opener at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin. However, Manikanta is currently undergoing rehabilitation and is aiming to return before the Interstate Championships.

2). AVINASH SABLE (MEN'S 3000M STEEPLECHASE): Avinash Sable, who created history at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will miss the Federation Cup due to an ongoing injury.

Last year, Avinash suffered a fall during the Monaco Diamond League and injured his knee. Because of the injury, India's 3000m steeplechase national record holder also missed the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

He returned to training earlier this year in January and recently went to Ooty for high-altitude training. Last year, he also won the gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships with a timing of 8:20.92.

3). AMOJ JACOB (MEN'S 400M): One of India's finest quarter-milers, Amoj Jacob, will also skip the Federation Cup, possibly because he is not fully fit yet. A few days ago, India's 4x400m relay team failed to finish a race despite entering with strong momentum after a season-best performance.

Dharmveer gave India a strong start, but the race fell apart during the second leg when Amoj Jacob appeared to suffer a cramp, preventing the baton from moving forward.

Amoj had started the season brilliantly by clocking 45.99s in his season opener at the Indian Open 400m competition in Trivandrum. He is currently the sixth-fastest Indian this year.

4). GULVEER SINGH (5000M & 10000M): Asian medallist Gulveer Singh will also skip the Federation Cup as he is preparing for the Commonwealth Games. He is currently training in the United States under coach Scott Simmons.

However, the Athletics Federation of India clarified that exemptions may be granted to athletes who are not competing in Ranchi, provided they receive prior written approval from the federation.

Gulveer already achieved the Commonwealth Games qualification mark in the 10000m after clocking 27:24.18 at The TEN in the USA earlier this year. He also clocked 13:15.84 in the indoor 5000m to finish third at the Sound Running Invitational, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver-level meet.

The national record holder in the 5000m, Gulveer remains India's only sub-13 athlete in the event.

5). PARUL CHAUDHARY (WOMEN'S 3000M STEEPLECHASE): Last week, Parul Chaudhary narrowly missed breaking her own national record in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the Shanghai Diamond League, clocking 9:12.84 in her season opener.

The Asian medallist finished seventh in a world-class field in Shaoxing. Parul's performance comfortably bettered the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard of 9:47.00 for the 2026 Asian Games in the women's 3000m steeplechase.

She also crossed the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 9:27.41.

However, achieving the qualification mark does not automatically guarantee selection, as the final decision rests with the Athletics Federation of India. It was her first competition since finishing ninth in her heat at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year with a time of 9:22.24.

It was also Parul's third appearance in a Diamond League meet. She had finished sixth in Doha last year with a then personal best of 9:13.39 before placing 16th in Eugene with a timing of 9:46.74.