Dev Meena, Anushka Yadav set national records at 65th National Inter-State Athletics Championships; seal Asian Games spots
At the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar (Kalinga Stadium), Dev Meena of Madhya Pradesh set a national pole vault record of 5.46m on June 24, 2026, bettering the earlier mark of 5.45m he had set at the Federation Cup in Ranchi. Eighteen-year-old Anushka Yadav of Uttar Pradesh broke the women's hammer throw national record with a throw of 67.02m, surpassing Sarita Singh's nine-year-old record. Both athletes met the qualification standard for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji also won gold on her comeback at the championships.
Key Facts & Details
9 points- 1The 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships were held in Bhubaneswar (Kalinga Stadium).
- 2Dev Meena (Madhya Pradesh) set a national pole vault record of 5.46m on June 24, 2026.
- 3Teenager Anushka Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) broke the women's hammer throw national record with 67.02m.
- 4Anushka surpassed Sarita Singh's nine-year-old national record.
- 5Both Dev Meena and Anushka Yadav qualified for the 2026 Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya, Japan).
- 6Jyothi Yarraji won gold on her comeback at the meet.
Deep Dive
- +Dev Meena's 5.46m bettered his own previous national record of 5.45m set at the Federation Cup in Ranchi.
- +Anushka Yadav reportedly broke the hammer throw national record more than once during the competition.
- +The Inter-State Championships double as a key qualifying meet for major international events such as the Asian Games.
Exam Focus
Examiners may test the athletes (Dev Meena, Anushka Yadav), their events and record marks (pole vault 5.46m; hammer throw 67.02m), the host city (Bhubaneswar) and the Asian Games 2026 venue (Aichi-Nagoya, Japan).
Related Topics
Exam Relevance & Angle
National records and Asian Games qualifications are reliable Sports GA; the athletes, their events and record marks, the host city (Bhubaneswar) and the 2026 Asian Games link are exact, fill-the-fact exam hooks.
Target Exams
Background & Context
The National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships are a flagship domestic track-and-field meet conducted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), often used as a qualifying event for international competitions. The 2026 edition (65th) was held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The pole vault and hammer throw are field events in which athletes clear a raised bar and hurl a heavy metal ball on a wire, respectively. The Asian Games, organised by the Olympic Council of Asia, are the continent's premier multi-sport event; the 2026 edition is scheduled in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. National records set at such meets often coincide with athletes meeting the qualification standards for these Games.
Related GK Concepts
Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 2At the 65th National Inter-State Athletics Championships, Dev Meena set a national record in which event?
Source
This topic is important for:
