Connect with us

Sports

National records may not be enough: AFI raises bar for Commonwealth Games 2026 selection | More sports News

Published

8 hours ago

on

National records may not be enough: AFI raises bar for Commonwealth Games 2026 selection
Jyothi Yarraji (ANI Photo)

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has set very tough qualification rules for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, making it clear that only the very best athletes will make the cut. With the athletics programme scaled down and each country allowed to send just 32 athletes, AFI has raised standards so high that competitors in 17 events must equal or even break existing national records to be selected.Several big names will have a challenge on their hands. In men’s sprint and track events like the 100m, 400m, 1500m and 110m hurdles, the qualifying times are actually faster than current Indian records. Even national record holders such as Animesh Kujur and Tejas Shirse fall just short of the required marks. On the women’s side, Asian Games medallist Jyothi Yarraji must better her own national record in the 100m hurdles after returning from injury, while Vithya Ramraj has to go faster than PT Usha’s long-standing 400m hurdles record she had earlier equalled.Key qualifying standards (selected events)

  • Men’s 100m: 10.16s
  • Women’s 100m: 11.17s
  • Men’s 400m: 44.96s
  • Women’s 400m: 51.36s
  • Men’s 1500m: 3:30.82
  • Women’s 1500m: 4:05.09
  • Men’s 5000m: 13:19.64
  • Women’s 5000m: 14:56.60
  • Men’s 10,000m: 27:39.03
  • Women’s 10,000m: 31:14.14

There is some breathing space in field events like men’s javelin. The qualifying mark is 82.61 metres, a distance already crossed by Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and others.The AFI has announced that the Federation Cup in Ranchi, from May 22 to 25, will serve as the final selection trials. Even athletes who have already met the standard must compete. However, selectors can make exceptions in special cases and still pick athletes seen as strong medal contenders.Unlike the Olympics, each country sets its own Commonwealth Games standards. India will be aiming to improve on its eight athletics medals from the 2022 Games when the event takes place from July 23 to August 2, 2026.

Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Caitlin Clark Hilariously Erases Doubts of Taking Payton Pritchard Comparison as an Offense After Celtics Star’s Buzzer Beater

Published

3 minutes ago

on

4 February 2026

By

One of the most hilarious viral moments over the weekend was Caitlin Clark’s reaction to Reggie Miller comparing her to Payton Pritchard. Some people thought that it was disrespectful coming from an Indiana legend, while others just can’t stop teasing Clark on social media.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, it seemed like Clark was feeding into her memeable reaction to the comparison. She retweeted a post by the NBA showing Pritchard’s midrange basket against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. She also dropped a few smirking emojis just for fun.

“😏😏😏,” Clark tweeted.

Advertisement

While Payton Pritchard is not a bad comparison since he can shoot the basketball, Caitlin Clark has usually been compared to Steph Curry. Clark has range, though her court vision is an underrated part of her game. She led the WNBA in assists as a rookie.

Clark failed to show off her improvement in her second season in the league due to injuries. She was limited to just 13 games after suffering multiple muscle-related injuries, mainly to her hamstring and groin. She also had a sprained ankle while recovering from a groin injury that kept her from returning for the playoffs.

The Indiana Fever went to the WNBA semifinals without her, pushing the eventual champions Las Vegas Aces, to five games. Even Game 5 was a nailbiter, with the Aces needing overtime to dispatch an injury-plagued Fever squad.

Clark returned to the court last December after being invited by Team USA to participate in a mini-camp as part of their preparation for this year’s World Cup.

Advertisement

Sophie Cunningham reacts to Caitlin Clark’s reaction to Reggie Miller’s comparison

Caitlin Clark was a guest analyst on NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Basketball” over the weekend. Clark helped cover the LA Lakers vs. New York Knicks matchup, alongside NBA legends such as Reggie Miller, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.

Speaking on the “Show Me Something” podcast, Sophie Cunningham shared her honest reaction to Caitlin Clark’s analyst debut, as well as Miller’s comp.

“First of all, I think she did a really good job,” Cunningham said, according to Sports Illustrated. “She was a natural up there. … I mean, she’s a dweeb. She knows the game, so that’s no shock.”

Cunningham added that Miller didn’t compare Clark to Payton Pritchard as a sign of disrespect. It was a genuine take from the Indiana Pacers legend. Miller even called Clark the best shooter in Indiana history, over himself and Tyrese Haliburton.