Animesh, Hima in star-studded entry list for Indian Athletics Series 3 in New Delhi

A star-studded field will compete at the Indian Athletics Series 3 in New Delhi on Saturday with the added motivation of performing on the recently-laid Mondo track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Several national record holders including Animesh Kujur (men’s 100m and 200m), Vishal TK (men’s 400m), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put) and Hima Das (women’s 400m) are in the fray. Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav, who finished fourth in the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, will also be in action.

Their names figured in the entry list issued by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) though the final contestants will be known on Friday.

For 26-year-old Hima, this will be her return to the tracks after two years, her last competition being at the National Inter-State Championships in June 2024.

In the men’s 100m, Kujur will not find it easy as former national record holder Gurindervir Singh is in the fray. Gurindervir had won the 60m gold at the inaugural National Indoor Championships last month in Bhubaneswar where Kujur was disqualified for a false start in the final.

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Gurindervir has a 100m personal best of 10.20 seconds while Kujur’s national record stands at 10.18 seconds.

“I am competing at the Indian Athletics Series in New Delhi. There is the Mondo track there, and I want to run on the fast track,” Kujur had said during the National Indoor Championships.

The men’s 200m will see Kujur up against Vishal, whose pet event is though 400m.

Vishal will be running his first individual 400m race after smashing the national record by clocking 45.12 seconds at the National Inter-State Championships in August 2025 in Chennai.

The 31-year-old Toor is entering the shot put competition with a lot of confidence, having heaved the iron ball past the 20m mark on two occasions this season.

The men’s javelin throw will see almost all the top Indians, save for two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra who is currently training abroad.

The 26-year-old Sachin Yadav, who performed beyond expectations and finished fourth in the 2025 World Championships with a throw of 86.27m, will be competing in his first event after the creditable feat.

The others in the entries list are the likes of Kishore Kumar Jena, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, Vikrant Malik and Shivam Lokhare.

Among women, Hima has entered in both the 200m and 400m where the likes of Sri Jyothika Dandi, Aishwarya Mishra and MR Poovamma are also in the fray.

The women’s high jump will see young Haryana athlete and Asian champion Pooja Singh competing. Shaili Singh will be competing against another promising athlete Mubassina Mohammed in the women’s long jump. Both train at the Anju Bobby George Foundation in Bengaluru.

The meet also has events in the Under-20 category.

Published on Apr 09, 2026