Animesh Kujur, Tejaswin Shankar headline Federation Cup with CWG 2026 berths in sight

RANCHI: Some of India’s top athletes will be in action at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition at Birsa Munda Stadium, Morabadi, here from May 22–25, aiming to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian U23 Athletics Championships.Among those drawing attention on the opening day will be Animesh Kujur and Tejaswin Shankar. This will be Kujur’s third individual outdoor outing of the year and after a modest start to the season, he is keen to hit form and secure CWG qualification.

The 200m qualifying mark of 20.61s should not pose a problem for him, considering his personal best of 20.32s. However, in the 100m, he will need to better his national record of 10.18s to meet the 10.16s qualifying standard.“In Saudi Arabia, there were a lot of dust particles as it was a construction area, and there was a headwind of -2.6,” Kujur said. “However, I’m confident of doing well in Ranchi. When I competed here in 2023, I dipped below 21 seconds for the first time. Also, after training over the past two days, the curve and straight felt quite fast.”Shankar, meanwhile, will be looking to qualify in both the high jump and the decathlon.

The Asian Games silver medallist and CWG bronze medallist in the high jump said the conditions in Ranchi have boosted his confidence.“In the beginning, I was worried, but I have been here over the past 2–3 days and it’s quite good in the morning and gets even better in the evening after 5 pm,” he said. “So, if I can secure the qualifying mark in high jump during the decathlon, it will be unprecedented.”He has already cleared 2.26m in the high jump in the United States, where he has been training for the past five months, and has scored 7,947 points in the decathlon this season, both above the CWG qualifying standards.The opening day will also feature finals of the women’s long jump and women’s discus throw. In the long jump, a close contest is on the cards between Ancy Sojan (PB 6.71m) and Shaili Singh (6.76m). However, whoever wins will still need to surpass Anju Bobby George’s long-standing national record of 6.83m to qualify for the CWG, where the entry mark stands at 6.84m.In discus throw, all eyes will be on Seema Kaliramna, who has had a strong 2025 season with multiple gold medals and is the favourite to secure a CWG berth.

Day 1 will also see finals in the men’s and women’s 10,000m, 3,000m steeplechase and men’s hammer throw.Women to undergo SRY Gene Test: The event, meanwhile, will also see SRY gene tests being conducted for the first time at a national competition. “More than 100 women athletes will be tested and they have been informed beforehand. The cost will be borne by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI),” said Lalit Bhanot, chairman of the AFI Planning Commission.While not all athletes will have to undergo the test immediately, it will become mandatory from next year onwards. “For international events, though, it is mandatory,” he added.He also clarified that athletes who do not compete here will still be eligible for CWG selection if they achieve the qualifying standards at events recognised by AFI.Among the big names missing from the event are Neeraj Chopra, who is nursing an injury, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, triple jumper Eldhose Paul, and Asian Games steeplechase medallist Parul Chaudhary, who has already achieved the CWG qualifying mark at the Shanghai Diamond League and is currently training in Bengaluru.