Sharuk Khan Wins 3000m Steeplechase as Ankita Dhyani Breaks Meet Record
National Open Athletics Championships: Sharuk Khan Shines
The National Open Athletics Championships delivered impressive performances in Delhi, with Sharuk Khan winning the men’s 3000m steeplechase and Ankita Dhyani rewriting the meet record in the women’s event. The final day at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium also featured a new men’s 200m record and strong results in race walking, relay, javelin and long jump.
Representing Railways, 20-year-old Sharuk clocked 8:30.54 to claim the men’s 3000m steeplechase title. He faced a close challenge from fellow Railways runner Prince Raj Mishra, who finished second in 8:31.38. Sumit Rathee of ONGC secured third place in 8:36.17. All three athletes recorded personal bests, making the race one of the key highlights of the championships.
Sharuk Khan Comes Close to Avinash Sable’s Record
Sharuk’s winning time came close to Avinash Sable’s meet record of 8:29.80, set in 2018. Sable continues to hold the national record at 8:09.91, underlining the standard Sharuk is chasing as he looks to improve in the coming season.
Reflecting on his performance, Sharuk said, “I pushed myself in the last two laps but narrowly missed the meet record.” He added that the result would give him confidence for the new season and said he planned to work during the off-season to improve his personal best.
Ankita Dhyani Breaks the Women’s Steeplechase Meet Record
The women’s 3000m steeplechase saw Ankita Dhyani produce one of the standout performances of the day. The Railways athlete won in 9:34.86, breaking the 11-year-old meet record of 9:39.83, previously held by Lalita Babar.
Mori Vandana Bharat of Gujarat finished second in 10:00.02, while Railways’ Komal Jagdale took third in 10:05.34. Ankita had won silver at the World University Games last year, adding to her growing record in Indian athletics.
However, she felt the race could have been faster with stronger competition. “There was nobody to challenge me, or else I could have clocked a better timing,” Ankita said.
More Records and Gold Medals in Delhi
Jishnu Prasad Sets a New 200m Meet Record
Jishnu Prasad of All India Police set another meet record, winning the men’s 200m in 20.62 seconds. He improved on the previous mark of 20.66 seconds, held by B. Nithin. Abhin Devadiga of Railways finished second in 20.91 seconds, followed by Adesh Garsa in 20.96 seconds.
Railways Win the Women’s 4x400m Relay
Railways claimed the women’s 4x400m relay title in 3:38.40. The winning quartet featured Sonia Baishya, Gowrinandana, Himanshi Malik and Kiran Pahal. Haryana finished second in 3:40.29.
In the men’s javelin throw, Haryana’s Aditya took gold with 79.40m. Anand Singh Singh of Services (SSCB) finished second at 77.77m, while Railways’ Arshdeep Singh took third with 77.56m. Asian Games medallists Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav did not compete.
Mohd Sazid of SSCB won the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.99m. In the women’s 800m, Railways’ Lili Das took victory in 2:05.37, narrowly ahead of V Kavitha of Tamil Nadu in 2:05.58 and Thota Sankeertana of Chhattisgarh in 2:05.70.
Race Walk: Sandeep Kumar and Ramandeep Kaur Take Gold
Sandeep Kumar Wins the Men’s Marathon Race Walk
Haryana’s Sandeep Kumar won the men’s marathon race walk, completing the 42.195km distance in 3:19:52. The two-time Olympian finished ahead of Madhya Pradesh’s Vishvendra Singh, who clocked 3:21:11, and Resham Midhun of SSCB, who finished in 3:22:46.
Six athletes failed to finish, including Ram Baboo, whose national record stands at 3:09:17. Humid conditions proved challenging, with Ram unable to complete the race after having just over three kilometres remaining.
Ramandeep Kaur Leads the Women’s Race Walk
Railways’ Ramandeep Kaur won the women’s marathon race walk in 3:59:23. Rajasthan’s Sonal Sukhwal finished second in 4:16:06, while Deepika Sharma took third in 4:22:55. Only five athletes started the event, and two did not finish.
Indian Athletics Sees Promising Performances
The final day of the National Open Athletics Championships offered a mix of personal bests, record-breaking runs and close finishes. Sharuk Khan’s steeplechase victory showed his potential to challenge the leading marks, while Ankita Dhyani’s record-breaking performance highlighted her progress in the women’s event.
With Jishnu Prasad also setting a new meet record in the 200m and several athletes delivering strong results across track and field events, the championships provided plenty of talking points for Indian athletics.
