Federation Cup 2026 Day 1 Round-Up: Animesh Kujur Rewrites National Record Twice as Ancy Sojan, Seema Shine in Ranchi

Ranchi, May 22: Day 1 of the 29th National Senior Athletics Federation Competition in Ranchi produced record-breaking drama, Commonwealth Games qualification marks, and several standout performances as India's top athletes battled for places in the Glasgow 2026 squad.

The biggest story of the opening day, Friday (May 22) came from the men's 100m semifinals, where Odisha sprinter Animesh Kujur reclaimed the national record in sensational fashion after briefly losing it just minutes earlier.

Animesh Kujur Reclaims National Record in Stunning Sprint Battle

The Birsa Munda Stadium witnessed one of the most dramatic sprint sessions in Indian athletics history. Also Read: Kujur Smashes 100m National Record Again Minutes After Gurindervir Surpassed Him

First, Gurindervir Singh stormed to victory in the opening semifinal with a time of 10.17s, breaking the previous national record of 10.18s held by Animesh Kujur since 2025. However, the celebrations lasted only a few minutes.

Competing in the second semifinal, Kujur responded immediately by clocking a sensational 10.15s to reclaim his national record and breach the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 10.16s.

The 22-year-old Odisha sprinter officially booked his place for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with the historic run.

Both Gurindervir and Kujur also erased the previous meet record of 10.25s set by Manikanta Hoblidhar in 2025.

Kujur later said his achievement was a result of "hard work" after becoming India's fastest man once again.

Seema Achieves Commonwealth Games Qualification in Discus Throw

Apart from Kujur, discus thrower Seema emerged as the second athlete on Day 1 to breach the Commonwealth Games qualification standard.

Representing JSW, Seema clinched gold in the women's discus throw with an impressive effort of 57.29m, comfortably going past the CWG qualification mark of 56.85m.

Nidhi Rani finished second with 55.05m, while Krishna Jayashankar secured bronze with a throw of 55.00m.

Ancy Sojan Produces Historic Long Jump Performance

The women's long jump final delivered another high-quality contest as Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh renewed their growing rivalry.

It ultimately turned into a memorable evening for Ancy, who produced a personal best leap of 6.75m to win gold and break the Federation Cup meet record.

The previous meet record of 6.64m was held by Shaili Singh from the 2025 edition in Kochi.

Ancy delivered a remarkably consistent series of jumps - 6.47m, 6.56m, 6.69m, 6.75m, 6.68m and 6.57m - underlining her dominance throughout the competition.

Shaili Singh settled for silver with 6.58m, while Bhavani Yadav claimed bronze with 6.39m.

Though Ancy narrowly missed the CWG qualification mark of 6.84m, her performance further strengthened her credentials ahead of the international season.

Deepak Bhatt Wins Men's 10,000m

The opening session of the day saw Uttarakhand athlete Deepak Bhatt clinch gold in the men's 10,000m event with a timing of 29:42.93.

Shailesh Kushwaha finished second in 29:57.56, while Prashant Choudhary secured bronze with 30:36.97.

Despite the victory, none of the athletes could come close to the demanding Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 27:39.03.

Ravina Gayakwad Takes Women's 10,000m Title

In the women's 10,000m final, Maharashtra's Ravina Gayakwad secured first place with a timing of 35:30.98.

Soniya of Uttarakhand finished second in 36:16.22, while Maharashtra's Aarti Pawara completed the podium with 36:24.79.

Balkishan and Ankita Win Steeplechase Titles

The men's 3000m steeplechase title went to Haryana's Balkishan, who clocked 8:56.01.

Sharuk Khan and Sunil Joliya finished second and third respectively.

In the women's event, Ankita of Uttarakhand won gold with a timing of 9:48.16, ahead of Prachi Devkar and Anju.

However, none of the steeplechasers managed to breach the Commonwealth Games qualification standards.

Ashish Jakhar Claims Hammer Throw Gold

The men's hammer throw competition saw Ashish Jakhar of Services emerge victorious with a best throw of 68.52m.

Damneet Singh, who had entered the meet after narrowly missing the national record earlier this season, finished second with 67.62m, while Ajay Kumar took bronze with 64.93m.

The CWG qualification mark of 73.09m remained untouched.