Who is Ankita Dhyani? Know All About Indian Athlete's Background, Career, Family, Personal Life

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Ankita Dhyani (born 5 February 2002) is an Indian athlete from Uttarakhand, specializing in middle-distance and long-distance running.

She was named in the Indian athletics team for the 5000m event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and has qualified to represent India in the women's 5000m event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Personal Life

Ankita hails from Maroda village in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Growing up in a high-altitude environment of 1400 meters, she trained alongside boys preparing for Army selections in her village. This unique upbringing contributed to her athletic development and resilience.

Athletic Career

Ankita has had a remarkable career in athletics, marked by several significant achievements. In 2021, she won gold medals in both the 1500m and 5000m events at the Federation Cup Junior U-20 Athletics Championships in Sangrur, Punjab, and at the Junior National Championships in Guwahati, where she set a Junior National record in the 5000m with a time of 16:21.19.

She also represented India at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, finishing eighth. Earlier in her career, she secured gold in the 200m at the Youth Nationals in Vijayawada in 2018, and in 2019, she won gold in both the 1500m and 5000m events at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune and again in Guwahati in 2020.

In 2022, she won a gold medal in the 10000m race at the Open Nationals and earned silver medals in various 1500m events. In May 2023, she qualified for the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand for the 1500m event, further establishing her status as a prominent athlete in Indian athletics.

Shifting her focus to the 5000m event, she secured gold medals in multiple competitions and clinched a bronze medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok. Her personal best in the 5000m came during the Asian Games in 2023, where she finished fifth with a time of 15:33.03 seconds.

In February 2024, Ankita achieved a silver medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at the Aftab e Enghelab Sports Complex in Tehran, completing the women's 3000m race with a time of 9:26.22 seconds.