World Athletics Vice President Adille J Sumariwalla commended the Odisha government for its role in advancing athletics in India, noting that enhanced support systems are evident in the performances and qualification standards of athletes. Speaking to ANI during the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2026, Sumariwalla stated that targeted assistance has enabled Indian athletes to consistently meet and surpass qualification benchmarks for major international competitions.
“The Odisha government is doing a lot, and you can see the results. When we provide good support, the athletes excel. They are qualifying for every event, and it’s not just about meeting the minimum Asian Games qualification standard; athletes are achieving third or fourth-place finishes that fulfill the criteria,” he remarked.
Emphasizing the increasing depth in Indian athletics, he noted that numerous athletes are now qualifying across various events, signifying a notable enhancement in overall standards. “You see 10 or 11 athletes qualifying across events; it shows how much the standard has improved,” Sumariwalla stated. “We are always hopeful about the Asian Games. I can certainly say that we will perform better than last time,” he added.
Gold medallist in women’s shot put, Manpreet Kaur, aims to surpass the 18-metre mark in upcoming competitions following a strong performance this season. “The qualifying mark was 16.35, and I’ve just thrown 17.75. My goal here is to hit the 18-plus mark in future competitions. I am currently training at NIS Patiala and receiving excellent coaching there, so the aim is to keep improving… I’ve been working hard for quite some time with the specific goal of winning a medal,” she said.
Women’s 200m gold medallist Harita Bhadra expressed her focus on securing a medal at the Asian level after achieving a new personal best this season. “My previous personal best was 23.9 seconds, and today I clocked 23.14 seconds… Naturally, the next target, now that I’ve qualified, is an Asian medal, and training for that is already underway. I approached this competition with the mindset that I had already qualified, so the preparation for the Asian event was already in progress,” she stated. (ANI)
