Excitement Builds as India's Top Athletes Gear Up for Inaugural National Indoor Championships

Bhubaneswar Welcomes National Indoor Championships

Bhubaneswar: The inaugural National Indoor Championships are set to kick off on Tuesday, with prominent Indian athletes like sprinter Animesh Kujur and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel expressing enthusiasm about the event. They believe this competition will significantly aid their preparation for the upcoming Asian Games.

Kujur, who holds national records in both the 100m and 200m outdoor events, is excited to make his indoor debut as part of a 33-member team from Odisha. He will participate in the 60m race during the two-day championships.

Chithravel, the national record holder in triple jump, will represent Tamil Nadu but will compete in the long jump instead.

Among the approximately 300 athletes participating, high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who reached the finals at the 2025 World Championships, is also set to compete at the state-of-the-art indoor facility located within the Kalinga Stadium complex.

Kujur shared, 'This will be my first indoor competition, and the 60m race tests your explosiveness.' He is eager to gauge his performance level and identify areas for improvement as he prepares for the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

He is also set to begin his outdoor season at the Indian Athletics Series 3 in New Delhi on April 11.

The National Indoor Championships promise to be a fresh experience for many athletes, organizers, and officials from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Indoor competitions are held on a 200m track, contrasting with the 400m outdoor tracks, and take place in a closed environment. The narrower tracks feature banked turns, unlike the wider, flat turns of outdoor tracks.

Field events such as high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and shot put will be included, while throwing events like javelin, discus, and hammer are excluded due to safety concerns.

Indoor competitions benefit from consistent weather conditions, unaffected by wind, ensuring a stable environment for athletes.

With around 300 competitors, states like Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra are sending large contingents of approximately 30 athletes each.

Chithravel, who has prior experience in indoor events, is looking forward to the competition. He previously secured a silver medal in triple jump at the 2023 Asian Indoor Championships in Kazakhstan.

'Indoor events provide a comfortable atmosphere, and performance tends to be more consistent without the wind factor present in outdoor competitions,' Chithravel noted, having also participated in the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Kushare, training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, is eager to experience indoor competition. AFI president Bahadur Singh Sagoo expressed hope that this inaugural event will elevate India's profile in indoor athletics. 'We performed well at the Asian Indoor Championships in February in China, and now we are hosting our first national championships. We aim to enhance our performance in indoor events,' he stated, also mentioning the upcoming National Relay Championships scheduled for March 28 in Chandigarh.

'We aspire to qualify for the World Relays on May 2-3 in Botswana from the National Open Relay in Chandigarh. To achieve this, we need at least two foreign teams to participate, so we are looking to invite 3-4 international teams.'