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The Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour concluded successfully at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. With fans flocking in large numbers, they were witness to some historic moments as several Indian athletics displayed a scintillating performance in the World Athletics meet. Annu Rani, top-ranked Indian athlete in javelin throw and Murali Sreeshankar a veteran in men’s long jump event - displayed raw talent to finish at the top of the podiums. Gearing up for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, India will be looking forward to winning a medal in athletics with such marvellous performances.
The performance which caught the eye of the whole world was the Asian Games medalist Annu Rani’s dominant display in the women's javelin throw, where she crossed the 60m mark twice with her best throw of 62.01m. She went on to beat Sri Lanka’s NDL Hatarabag Leka, who finished with her best throw of 56.27 meters. Reflecting on her dominant performance, Anu Ranni stated, “In my last two competitions, I’ve crossed the 62m mark, which is a big achievement for me. I believe there’s a strong chance I can hit 65m.” India’s Deepika finished in third place with 54.20 meter throw.
Murali Sreeshankar’s fighting spirit helps him overcome the leap of 17-year-old Mohammad Shahnawaz
Murali Sreeshankar's fighting spirit helped him to resurrect from the ruins as he was the second favourite to win the long jump event. However, Sreeshankar overcame the odds of defeat and stood tall against his fierce competitor, the 17-year-old Shahanawaz Mohammad with a stunning leap of 8.13m in the long jump event leaving the crowd in disbelief and securing the gold medal to his name.
Sreeshankar’s win at the first Indian Open was his fourth straight victory after recovering back from a long injury layoff. Overall, this athletic meet provided valuable ranking points for athletes aiming to qualify for the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
