National Records Shattered: New Benchmarks at Federation Athletics

Dev Kumar Meena's pole vault gold sets a new national record at the 2025 National Federation Senior Athletics Competition. Other notable performances include Tejas Shirse in the 110m hurdles and Rupal in the women's 400m, both showcasing commendable times. Success extended to Vishal TK in the men's 400m and Seema in discus throw.

Dev Kumar Meena triumphed in men's pole vault, clinching gold while setting a new national record with a 5.35m effort at the 2025 National Federation Senior Athletics Competition. The continental benchmark stands at 5.51m, according to Olympics.com. He exceeded his prior personal best and national record of 5.32m, set at the National Games 2025. M Gowtham and Reegan G secured silver and bronze with jumps of 5.15m and 5.10m, respectively.

In a separate event, national record holder Tejas Shirse dominated the men's 110m hurdles, finishing in 13.65 seconds. His competitors, Manav R and Muhammed Lazan, completed the race in 13.94 and 14.17 seconds, respectively, but failed to meet the Asian Championships qualification time of 13.56 seconds.

Rupal distinguished herself in the women's 400m, breaching the Asian Championships qualification mark by clocking 52.55 seconds. Her stellar performance, having previously earned double medals at the U20 World Athletics Championships 2022, secured her the top spot. Vithya Ramraj and Sneha K followed, recording times of 52.81 and 53.00 seconds. In men's 400m, Vishal TK claimed gold with a personal record of 46.19 seconds, surpassing his earlier best of 46.77 seconds from the Indian Open Under-23 athletics meet in September 2024.

Jay Kumar and Manu TS completed the men's 400m podium with times of 46.33 and 46.38 seconds. In the men's high jump, Olympian Sarvesh Kushare won gold with a 2.26m jump, meeting the Asian Championships qualification standard of 2.23m. Swadin Kumar Majhi and Bharath Raj B took silver and bronze respectively, both clearing 2.14m, with Majhi securing silver by completing the height on his initial try.

David P showcased remarkable prowess in men's long jump with a gold-winning leap of 7.94m, narrowly missing the Asian Championships mark by 0.13m. He outperformed Olympian Jeswin Aldrin, who recorded a 7.83m jump, and Muhammed Anees Yahiya, who reached 7.70m. The women's discus throw saw Seema excel, surpassing the Asian Championships qualification with a commanding throw of 57.17m, putting Bhavana Yadav and Priya with throws of 52.15m and 51.36m, on the podium for silver and bronze.

(With inputs from agencies.)