Page 2 - Athletics

National record holder Annu Rani logs 1st 60m javelin throw in over a year

National record holder Annu Rani registered her first 60m-plus throw in more than a year as she won the javelin competition title at the 8th International Wieslaw Maniak Memorial meet in Szczecin, Poland, on Wednesday. Rani, who will turn 33 on August 29, sent her spear to a season best of 62.59m to take the gold in the World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level meet. She holds the national record of 63.82m, which she achieved in 2022. She began with a 60.95m effort before achieving her best of the day -- 62.59m -- in her second throw. In fact, she had another 60m-plus throw -- 60.07m -- in her sixth and final attempt. In contrast to her three 60m-plus throw on Wednesday, she could not touch that coveted mark since May 2024, when she threw 60.68m for a sixth-place finish in Offenburg, Germany. Since then she has even struggled to touch 59m and failed to qualify for the finals in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 55.81m effort in the qualification round. Her best this year before

Leon Marchand breaks 200m medley world record in 1:52.61 seconds

Lon Marchand broke the world record in the 200-meter individual medley on Wednesday at the world championships in Singapore, clocking 1 minute, 52.61 seconds to surpass the 1:54.00 set in 2011 by American Ryan Lochte. The Frenchman set the mark swimming in the semifinals and, in theory, could break it again in Thursday's finals. Marchand won four Olympic gold medals a year ago in Paris, but he's swimming only the 200 and 400 medley and relays in Singapore. Planning the lighter schedule in what he calls a transition year keeps him fresh to chase the world marks. Marchand didn't just break the 14-year-old record, he shattered it. What's crazy is that it's a whole second and it's still hard to believe, he said. 1:52 on the 200 meters that's insane. Marchand will swim the 400 IM on Sunday, the final day of the world championships. He holds that record of 4:02.50 set in the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan. Today I felt really good before the race, he said. In the water, I felt light

World Championships 2025 woes persist for struggling Indian swimmers

Indian swimmers continued to underwhelm at the World Aquatics Championships with none of them making it past the heats for the third straight day here on Tuesday. In his signature event, the 200m butterfly, seasoned campaigner Sajan Prakash finished a disappointing 24th, missing out on a place in the semifinals. The 31-year-old, who had become the first Indian swimmer to earn direct Olympic qualification at the Tokyo Games, clocked 1:59.33s. The top 16 moved to the semifinals. The result marked the end of Prakash's campaign at the ongoing Championships, following his 43rd-place finish in the 200m freestyle on Monday. In the men's 800m freestyle, Aryan Nehra placed 23rd with an underpar time of 8:21.30s. Only the top eight progressed to the final. Nehra had clocked a personal best time of 08:00.76s in the previous edition of the Championships in 2023. His campaign also came to an end. SP Likith finished 50th in men's 50m backstroke with a timing of 28.45s to wrap up his campaign.

ACL surgery forces steeplechaser Sable to miss September World Championship

Asian Games gold medallist 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable has undergone ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery after suffering the injury during the Monaco Diamond League earlier this month and the Indian will be ruled out of World Athletics Championships in September. The 30-year-old Sable, the reigning Asian champion and a gold medallist in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, went under the knife in a Mumbai hospital. The procedure was performed under the care of well-known surgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala. An ACL surgery normally takes at least six months to heal, and it means that Sable will be ruled out of the Tokyo World Championships (September 13-21) and he will be able to come back to action only next year. "During the Monaco Diamond League, I suffered an ACL and meniscus injury to my right knee. I've completed my surgery under the expert care of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team at Kokilaben Hospital, to whom I'm grateful beyond words," Sable wrote in a social media post

World Athletics Tour Bronze 2025: AFI confirms Indian athlete line-up

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Thursday announced the list of athletes eligible to participate in the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event in Bhubaneswar on the basis of their rankings on July 12. The event is an annual series of track and field competitions which are held under the aegis of World Athletics and it forms the second tier of international one-day meetings after the prestigious Diamond League. "The athletes need to submit their online entry on the AFI Portal before 31st July 2025, all these athletes who will confirm their entry and if fails to participate will not be allowed to take part in 64th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships 2025," the AFI said. More than 150 athletes from over 10 countries are slated to compete in the bronze-level global meet including Turkmenistan, Bhutan, Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, Iraq, Vietnam, the Republic of Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Iran and the Maldives. The competition will be held at the Kalinga

Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem unlikely in Poland: Pakistani Javelin Coach

The much-anticipated duel between double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra and reigning champion Arshad Nadeem at the Diamond League in Poland lies in uncertainty after the Pakistani javelin thrower underwent a surgery on his calf muscle in England recently. Chopra and Nadeem were scheduled to face each other for the first time next month, one year after the mouth-watering men's javelin competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the Pakistani came out on top, beating his Indian counterpart for the gold medal with a stunning 92.97m throw. The 27-year-old Chopra, who had won gold in Tokyo Olympics in 2021, had to settle for a silver in Paris with a best throw of 89.45m. The duo were set to compete against each other in the Diamond League in Silesia, Poland on August 16 and then in Switzerland next month. Nadeem's coach Salman Butt, who is with him in England, informed that the reigning Olympic champion is unsure for both the events as he was more focussed on making his comeback at t

Anti-doping amendment bill tabled to boost NADA's operational autonomy

The amended National anti-doping act will be presented in the Parliament here on Wednesday incorporating the changes sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which objected to "government interference" in the functioning of the country's Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The act was originally passed in 2022 but its implementation had to be put on hold due to objections raised by WADA. The world body objected to the institution of a National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports, which was empowered to make recommendations to the government on anti-doping regulations. The Board, which was to comprise a Chairperson and two members appointed by the central government, was also authorised to oversee the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and even issue directions to it. WADA rejected this provision as government interference in an autonomous body. The amended bill has therefore deleted this provision to be WADA-compliant along with some other changes which might include reducing the athlete'

Former Puma India head Abhishek Ganguly eyes a long run with new company

Abhishek Ganguly, the former Puma India head, is set to create a multi-brand sports empire with ₹600 crore, targeting brands like Italian label Lotto, as India's sportswear market expands

UK backs London's push to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships

The British government has announced its support of London's bid to host the 2029 athletics world championships. London hosted the biannual premier track-and-field event in 2017 at the London Stadium, which also held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games. The plan is to stage the 2029 worlds at the same venue. Saturday's announcement included the government's support of a bid for Britain to host the 2029 World Para Athletics Championships. Subject to funding from partners being confirmed, the government has agreed to provide significant funding for both bids, reflecting the UK's ambition to once again bring the world's greatest athletes to UK shores, it said in a statement. The announcement came with London hosting a Diamond League event on Saturday. This year's athletics worlds will take place in Tokyo in September. The 2027 edition will be held in Beijing. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he's delighted to support the bid. The event would provide

AFI sets qualifying marks for World Athletics Continental Tour event

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Thursday announced the qualification standards for the World Athletics Continental Tour event, scheduled to be held here on August 10. The Continental Tour is an annual series of track and field competitions held under the aegis of World Athletics and it forms the second tier of international one-day meetings after the prestigious Diamond League. The bronze-level Tour meet is below the gold and silver levels. Over 150 athletes from more than 10 countries are set to compete across 20 disciplines in the bronze-level global meet. Several top Indians will compete alongside foreign athletes, though the country's star javelin exponent and double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will not be a part of the prestigious competition. Athletes from Turkmenistan, Bhutan, Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, Iraq, Vietnam, the Republic of Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Iran and the Maldives will participate in the competition at the Kalinga Stadium. In the men's .

Have 2026 Asiad Selection Plan Ready by Aug 29: Sports Secy to NSFs

Sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao on Thursday urged National Sports Federations (NSFs) to finalise their selection mechanism for next year's Asian Games by August 29 to ensure a greater focus on preparations for the showpiece in Japan. Rao was addressing NSFs in the one-day 'Khelo Bharat Conclave' in the national capital where an action plan to take Indian sports forward is being discussed by various stakeholders, including sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, representatives of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and corporate houses, and prominent former athletes. "Let's have a selection plan for the Asian Games by August 29, which is also the National Sports Day (and the birth anniversary of hockey icon Dhyan Chand). If we do that, we will have one entire year to prepare ourselves," Rao, who is also the Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), told the gathering. The Asian Games is scheduled to be held from September 19 to October 4 next year in Aichi-Nagoya. India

JLN Stadium on track to meet deadline before Para World Championships

With less than three months to go for the World Para Athletics Championships, set to be held in India for the first time, preparations at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium are progressing swiftly, with the base layer of the new Mondo synthetic track already laid. Officials remain confident of meeting all deadlines ahead of the crucial inspection by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and World Athletics scheduled for late August. "We should be able to meet the deadline comfortably before the final inspection by the International Paralympic Committee and World Athletics," a top official privy to the developments told PTI Videos on condition of anonymity. "Our target is to secure the clearance certificate at least a week before the championship begins," the official added. The 12th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships will be held from September 27 to October 5. The Mondo prefabricated synthetic track is being installed by Shiv Naresh. The track, which is made of .

Fauja Singh, centenarian runner who inspired millions, dies at 114

Having spent much of his running career in the UK, Singh returned to his roots in India about three years ago after retiring.

Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 live event time (IST), venue, streaming details

The Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 event will begin at 7 PM IST and will be live-streamed for free on JioHotstar

What is NC Classic javelin throw event, and what is its significance?

JioHotstar, through its app and website, will livestream the Neeraj Chopra Classic event in India, while Star Sports will provide the live telecast

Kishore Jena pulls out of NC Classic due to injury, Yashvir to replace him

Struggling with an ankle injury, Kishore Jena has pulled out of Saturday's Neeraj Chopra Classic international javelin event and will be replaced by Yashvir Singh, the organisers announced on Monday. The 23-year-old Yashvir had finished second in the Federation Cup in April and fifth in the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea in May with a personal best of 82.57m. "Kishore Jena has been ruled out of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025 due to an ankle injury. Yashvir Singh has been named as his replacement in the final lineup," the organisers of NC Classic said in an official update. On June 6, Poland's Martin Konecny had replaced Asian Games bronze medallist Genki Dean of Japan as the organisers confirmed the 12-man entry list for the rescheduled event. India's first-ever international javelin competition, originally slated for May 24, was postponed due to military tensions between India and Pakistan. Organised by double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra in collaboration with JS

Who will be the next sprint king? Gout is front-runner; here's how

Born in Ipswich, near Brisbane, Gout is the son of South Sudanese immigrants who settled in Australia in 2005

Neeraj Chopra triumphs at Ostrava but feels performance fell short

Chopra's best throw of 85.29 meters was enough to claim victory in a field of nine competitors at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet on Tuesday.

Ostrava Golden Spike 2025: Neeraj Chopra event live time and streaming

The meet is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, and marks an important stop in Chopra's campaign as he continues to build momentum ahead of the upcoming season highlights.

Neeraj Chopra targets World Championship glory in Tokyo this season

Reflecting on growing up idolizing athletes like Usain Bolt at this very venue, Chopra admitted he won't pressure himself into repeating 90m throws this week, but he'll give it his all.