New Delhi: The Athletics Federation of India has announced strict qualification norms for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, raising the performance bar to ensure only top class athletes represent the country. Competitors in as many as 17 disciplines will need to either match or break existing national records to secure a place in the Indian contingent.
The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Scotland from July 23 to August 2 with a reduced athletics programme. Each participating nation will be allowed to send a maximum of 32 athletes, including not more than 16 women, prompting the federation to adopt tougher criteria to select the most competitive squad.
In the men’s category, qualification marks have been set higher than current national records in events such as the 100 metres, 400 metres, 1500 metres, 110 metres hurdles and hammer throw. Sprinter Animesh Kujur, who holds the national 100 metres record of 10.18 seconds, will need to clock 10.16 seconds to make the cut. Similarly, 110 metres hurdles record holder Tejas Shirse must improve his best of 13.41 seconds to meet the required standard.
The targets are equally demanding in the women’s section. Asian Games silver medallist Jyothi Yarraji, returning after an ACL injury, has been asked to better her national record of 12.78 seconds in the 100 metres hurdles and achieve 12.67 seconds for selection. In the 400 metres hurdles, Vithya Ramraj, who had earlier equalled the legendary PT Usha’s long standing mark of 55.42 seconds, will now need to record 54.67 seconds.
The men’s javelin throw appears to offer greater opportunity with the entry standard fixed at 82.61 metres. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, along with Sachin Yadav and Rohit Yadav, have already crossed this distance in the past and are expected to be strong contenders for multiple slots.
For relay events, the federation has not announced any specific benchmark for the men’s 4×400 metres team. However, the mixed 4×400 metres relay squad will have to achieve a timing of 3 minutes 16 seconds to be eligible.
Officials believe the demanding standards will push athletes to raise their performance levels and help India field a lean but high quality team capable of competing with the best at the Commonwealth stage.
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