India’s sprint duo delivered a mixed evening at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2026, as Nithya Gandhe produced a personal best in the women’s 60m final, while Abinaya Rajarajan was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Competing against some of Asia’s fastest sprinters, Nithya clocked 7.49 seconds in the final to finish seventh an improvement on the 7.50s she had recorded earlier in the heats. Though outside the medal positions, the performance marked a significant milestone in her indoor career and reflected steady progress at the continental level.
A Gritty Path to the Final
Both Indian sprinters had qualified for the final as fastest losers (q), underlining the competitiveness of the heats. Nithya registered a lifetime best of 7.50s in her heat to secure her place in the eight-woman final. Abinaya Rajarajan, the U20 100m national record holder, also clocked 7.50s in her heat to advance.
The qualification itself was an achievement. The women’s 60m field featured multiple sub-7.40 performers, making entry into the final a tight contest decided by hundredths of a second. For two Indian sprinters to make the final in such a field signalled encouraging depth in short sprinting. However, Abinaya’s campaign took an unfortunate turn. She had fallen toward the end of her heat and appeared to sustain a knee issue during the incident. After medical assessment, she was unable to start the final (DNS), bringing a premature end to what had been a promising outing.
Final: Nithya Lowers Her PB Again
In the final, Nithya lined up against a dominant Chinese contingent and other seasoned competitors. The start was crucial, as it often is in the explosive 60m dash. Despite not getting the sharpest reaction, she executed a clean race phase and dipped across the line in 7.49 seconds shaving another hundredth off her personal best.
While seventh place may not reflect podium contention, the time itself is a marker of growth. Indoor sprinting, with its shorter acceleration phase and limited room for error, demands refined technique and reaction sharpness. Nithya’s progression from 7.50s in the heats to 7.49s in the final indicates composure under pressure and the ability to replicate peak output within hours.
The podium was dominated by China:
- Gold: Xu Jiayu – 7.28s (Personal Best)
- Silver: Liao Yanjun – 7.30s
- Bronze: Liu Xiajun – 7.38s (Personal Best)
The winning time of 7.28s underscores the performance gap at the top end, but also provides a benchmark for aspiring contenders across Asia.
Context Within India’s Day 1 Campaign
The sprint final came amid a mixed set of results for India at the championships.
Earlier in the competition:
- Aadarsh Ram opened India’s medal account with bronze in men’s high jump (2.19m).
- Praveen Chithravel finished fourth in triple jump (16.22m).
- K A Anamika placed fourth in the pentathlon with 3923 points.
- Yogita secured fourth in women’s shot put (15.33m).
- Manikanta Hoblidhar was disqualified in the men’s 60m heats due to a false start.
Against this backdrop, Nithya’s personal best adds a positive sprinting note to the report card.
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The significance of Nithya’s 7.49s lies beyond placement. Indoor sprinting opportunities for Indian athletes remain limited compared to European circuits. Therefore, every exposure at continental level becomes a valuable data point in performance development. For Abinaya, the immediate focus will be rehabilitation. The 20-year-old has shown promising acceleration mechanics and will likely shift attention toward the outdoor season once fit. Injury timing is unfortunate, but early reporting suggests it is precautionary rather than structural.
For Nithya, the Asian Indoor Championships have provided measurable validation. A sub-7.50 indoor mark positions her competitively within the broader Asian sprint circuit and offers momentum heading into the outdoor 100m campaign. While India did not feature on the podium in the women’s 60m, reaching the final with two athletes and registering a personal best at the continental stage is a tangible step forward.
Sprint progression is incremental, often measured in hundredths. On this evening, Nithya Gandhe gained one and at this level, that matters.
