Asian Games medallists Vithya Ramraj and Ancy Sojan, along with Paris 2024 Olympian Sarvesh Kushare, won their respective events at the Indian Athletics Series 4 2026 in Ranchi on Sunday.
Vithya Ramraj, who won three medals at the Asian Games 2023, clocked 57.02s in the women’s 400m hurdles to better the Asian Games 2026 qualifying standard of 57.21s set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
This was the second time Vithya Ramraj clocked under the Asian Games qualifying mark this season. She won the 400m hurdles at the Indian Athletics Series in Bengaluru earlier this month with a timing of 57.10s.
However, breaching the AFI mark does not guarantee selection for the Indian contingent. As per federation guidelines, athletes must compete in at least three domestic meets, including mandatory participation at state championships.
Competing at the Birsa Munda Stadium, the 27-year-old Vithya Ramraj was followed by Anu R (57.48s) and Shravani Sachin Sangl (1:01.17) in the top three.
PT Usha holds the women’s 400m hurdles national record with a timing of 55.42, set at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics. That record was matched 39 years later at the Asian Games 2023 by Vithya Ramraj in Hangzhou.
Meanwhile, Asian Games silver medallist Ancy Sojan won the women’s long jump with a distance of 6.45m – three centimetres short of the Asian Games qualifying mark of 6.48m.
Anju Bobby George holds the national record of 6.83m, achieved at the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Sarvesh Kushare, meanwhile, took top honours in the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.19m, meeting the Asian Games qualifying mark. The Paris 2024 Olympian had already gone higher this season, clearing 2.23m at the opening leg in Bengaluru.
Last season, Sarvesh Kushare registered India’s best result in the high jump at the World Athletics Championships, finishing sixth in Tokyo after clearing 2.28m.
The Indian national record in the event belongs to Tejaswin Shankar, who cleared 2.29m in a meet in Texas in 2018.
The Ranchi meet was the fourth of the 16 Indian Athletics Series introduced by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) this year. The one-day event for the Indian athletes featured a full slate of track and field finals.
In the men’s javelin throw, Uttam Balasaheb Pati won the contest with a mark of 74.85m.
The Indian Athletics Series will continue with the fifth and sixth legs, set to be held in Sangrur and Chennai on May 9 and 10, respectively.
Indian Athletics Series 4 2026 Ranchi winners
- Men’s 5000m: 1. Sandeep Pal (14:11.62); 2. Shivaji Parashuram (14:15.15); 3. Mrunal Sarode (14:16.84)
- Women’s 5000m: 1. Bharti (16:55.42); 2. Mamata Pal (17:55.45); 3. Mitali Deepak Bhoyar (18:23.04)
- Men’s discus throw: 1. Nirmal Jena (48.77m); 2. Gautam Kumar (44.43m)
- Men’s 800m: 1. Md Mahasin Awal (1:53.21); 2. Debraj Mallick (1:53.62); 3. Vipin Kumar Verma (1:54.42)
- Women’s 800m: 1. Diptirani Sahoo Kritika (2:13.85)
- Men’s long jump: 1. Sarun Payasingh (7.48m); 2. Muhammed Anees Yahiya (7.19m); 3. Urvish Pokhriyal (7.08m)
- Men’s 200m: 1. Mahendra Santa (21.96s); 2. Paras (22.31s); 3. Pijush Ghosh (22.37s)
- Women’s 200m: 1. Mousumi Roy (24.79s); 2. Bidisha Kundu (24.99s); 3. Samriti Jamwal (25.27s)
- Men’s shot put: 1. Raj Roshan (14.20m); 2. Ravi Bhaskar (13.78m)
- Women’s 100m hurdles: 1. Pragyan Prasanti Sah (13.62s)
- Men’s 110m hurdles: 1. Krishik M (13.72s); 2. Rathish Pandid (14.10s); 3. Majgul Mayudin Amin (15.15s)
- Women’s long jump: 1. Ancy Sojan (6.45m); 2. Manisha Merel (5.78m); 3. Bidisha Kundu (5.73m)
- Women’s 400m hurdles: 1. Vithya Ramraj (57.02s); 2. Anu R (57.48s); 3. Shravani Sachin Sangl (1:01.17)
- Men’s 400m hurdles: 1. Shakti Singh (51.34s); 2. Karthik Yarravarapu (51.71s); 3. Murad Sirman (51.78s)
- Men’s 100m: 1. Aniket Nalawade (10.60s); 2. Rohan Ghosh (10.68s); 3. Varun Oori Manohar (10.74s)
- Men’s high jump: 1. Sarvesh Kushare (2.19m); 2. Afroz Ahmad (2.13m); 3. Md Nayeem (2.05m)
- Men’s javelin throw: 1. Uttam Balasaheb Pati (74.85m); 2. Narayan Singh (66.62m); 3. Arun Modi (64.22m)
- Women’s triple jump: 1. Nupur Pandey (12.64m); 2. Poorva Hitesh Sawant (12.58m)
- Women’s 100m: 1. Mousumi Roy (11.83s); 2. Himashree Roy (11.87s); 3. Binati Behera (12.14s)
- Women’s high jump: 1. Mahek Nasrin Dayan K (1.60m); 2. Kirti Isharwal (1.50m)
- Men’s 400m: 1. Malaya Barik (49.33s); 2. Pravin Kumar (49.81s); 3. Aryan Ekka (50.04s)
- Women’s javelin throw: 1. Ramyashree Jain (49.80m)
- Men’s triple jump: 1. Yuva Raj (15.09m); 2. Swagat Behera (14.89m); 3. Biraj Tigga (14.07m)
- Women’s 400m: 1. Sukhi Baskey (54.91s); 2. Shravani Sachin Sangl (54.96s); 3. Rubina Yadav (56.30s)
- Men’s 1500m: 1. Ashok Dandasena (4:02.98); 2. Argha Gharui (4:04.14)
- Women’s 1500m: 1. Namita Pradhan (5:01.87)
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/indian-athletics-series-2026-ranchi-results-report
