Indian will need to break national records in four events – including the men’s 100m – to make the cut. Participation in at least three domestic competitions is a must.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) unveiled its qualifying standards for the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, setting a stiff mark for athletes aspiring to make the Indian team for the continental showpiece.
The Asian Games 2026 is scheduled to be held in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
In the men’s 100m, men’s pole vault, men’s 4x100m relay and the women’s marathon events, Indian athletes will need to better existing national records to secure direct qualification.
Animesh Kujur and Dev Meena currently hold the national records in the men’s 100m (10.18s) and pole vault (5.40m) events, respectively. Both were set last year.
AFI’s Aichi-Nagoya 2026 qualifying standard for the men’s 100m event is set at a stringent 10.16s, while the pole vault mark has been upped to 5.45m.
In comparison, the qualifying standard for men’s 100m for the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 was set at 10.19s, while the pole vault mark was 5.40m.
The women’s marathon national record of 2:34:43s was set in 2015 by OP Jaisha. The entry mark for the Asian Games 2026 is 2:31:52s.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2026-qualifying-standards-india-athletics
