Indoor Athletics Championships 2026: Gurvindervir Singh Breaks 60m National Record; Favourite Animesh Kujur Disqualified

Bhubaneswar, March 25: Punjab's international sprinter Gurvindervir Singh produced a stunning performance to clinch the men's 60m gold on the final day of the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships at the Indoor Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday (March 25).

The 26-year-old showcased remarkable composure in a dramatic final that was reduced to just five athletes after three false starts. Gurvindervir exploded out of the blocks and sprinted to victory in 6.60 seconds, setting a new national indoor record in the process.

Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 Gurvindervir Singh Breaks 60m National Record Favourite Animesh Kujur Disqualified

His timing eclipsed the previous national indoor record of 6.67 seconds, set by VK Elakkiadasan in 2022, marking an impressive start to his 2026 athletics season.

"It was a good start to the 2026 season. I hope to sustain my efforts in outdoor races," Gurvindervir said after registering the fastest 60m indoor time in the country. The sprinter represented Reliance in the competition.

Dramatic Men's 60m Final Sees Multiple Disqualifications

The highly anticipated men's 60m final witnessed high drama as three athletes were disqualified due to false starts. Among them was national outdoor champion and pre-race favourite Animesh Kujur, whose early exit significantly changed the complexion of the race.

Odisha's Dondapti Mrutyam Jayaram and Karnataka's Nehal Sagar were the other two sprinters disqualified following false starts.

With the field reduced, Gurvindervir maintained his focus and surged ahead to claim the gold medal. Odisha's Lalu Prasad Bhoi finished second with a time of 6.65 seconds, while Haryana's Nuzrat secured bronze in 6.71 seconds.

Harita Bhandra Wins Women's 60m Title

In the women's 60m dash, Maharashtra's Harita Bhandra emerged victorious, clocking 7.32 seconds to secure the gold medal.

Karnataka's Unnathi Bollanda finished second with a timing of 7.46 seconds, while Maharashtra's Trisha Nair took the bronze in 7.62 seconds.

The championship featured several exciting performances across track and field events as athletes from across the country competed in the first edition of the indoor national meet.

National Indoor Athletics Championships - Day 2 Full Results

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Men's 60m	Gurvindervir Singh (Reliance) - 6.60s	Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odisha) - 6.65s	Nuzrat (Haryana) - 6.71s
Men's U20 60m	Kshitij Sunil (Maharashtra) - 6.78s	Rushiraj Singh (Gujarat) - 6.87s	Abhay Singh (Reliance) - 6.88s
Men's 400m	Mohammed Sinan (Reliance) - 48.27s	Muhammed Badusha (BSF) - 49.83s	Aryan Ekka (Odisha) - 49.86s
Men's U20 400m	Umesh Sahani (Uttar Pradesh) - 49.14s	Bapi Hansda (Odisha) - 49.27s	Pradeep Mane (Maharashtra) - 51.66s
Men's 1500m	Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) - 3:46.13	Jagdish (Air Force) - 3:50.11	Sunil Yadav (Rajasthan) - 3:50.56
Men's U20 3000m	Dolamani Chirgun (Odisha) - 8:39.13	Bitto Joseph (Kerala) - 8:40.32	Ajay (Uttar Pradesh) - 8:41.02
Men's Triple Jump	Vimal Mukesh (Navy) - 15.41m	Robinson S (Tamil Nadu) - 14.67m	Naresh Rohidas (Odisha) - 13.92m
Men's Pole Vault	Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) - 5.30m	Rambeer Singh (Army) - 4.85m	Bineesh Jacob (Railway) - 4.55m
Men's High Jump	Swadhin Kumar Majhi (Odisha) - 2.18m	Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Maharashtra) - 2.15m	Dhairyshil D (Maharashtra) - 2.15m
Men's U20 High Jump	Basant (Rajasthan) - 2.16m	Sagar Roy (West Bengal) - 2.05m	Ankit Kumar (Rajasthan) - 1.90m
Women's 60m	Harita Bhandra (Maharashtra) - 7.32s	Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) - 7.46s	Trisha Nair (Maharashtra) - 7.62s
Women's U20 60m	Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (Gujarat) - 7.50s	Mansi Rajak (Madhya Pradesh) - 7.55s	Heeral Johri (Madhya Pradesh) - 7.75s
Women's 400m	Kumari Saloni Nagar (Uttar Pradesh) - 55.73s	Sukhi Baskey (Odisha) - 55.67s	Unnathi Bollanda (Karnataka) - 56.45s
Women's U20 400m	Sai Chinthana Senthil (Tamil Nadu) - 59.96s	Arpita (Odisha) - 1:00.48	-
Women's 1500m	Priyanka C (Karnataka) - 4:34.31	-	-
Women's Triple Jump	Mallala Anusha (JSW) - 13.20m	Nimisha Dayma (JSW) - 12.93m	Bhairabi Roy (West Bengal) - 12.81m
Women's High Jump	Payal Jamod (Gujarat) - 1.71m	Kevinna Ashwine (Tamil Nadu) - 1.71m	Pramilla Rajgar (West Bengal) - 1.68m
Women's U20 High Jump	Arpita Sarkar (West Bengal) - 1.68m	Juin Mantusa (West Bengal) - 1.60m	Anrisha Klein (Meghalaya) - 1.60m

Strong Start to Indoor Athletics Season

The inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar witnessed impressive performances from both emerging talents and seasoned athletes. Gurvindervir Singh's record-breaking sprint in the men's 60m emerged as the highlight of the meet, setting the tone for the upcoming outdoor athletics season in India.