Ancy Sojan's 'Average' Win

Ancy Sojan Edappilly, the national record holder in women's long jump, led an Indian sweep at the World Athletics Silver Level Continental Tour 2026 in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, winning with a leap of 6.71m. Shaili Singh took second with 6.56m, while Mubassina Mohammed finished third with 6.31m. Despite the victory, Sojan described her performance as "average," telling ANI: "It was an average performance. This is just preparation before the Asian Games. I'm aiming for the gold medal this year. I'm targeting my magical number of seven meters." The Asian Games silver medallist had set the Indian women's long jump national record with a 6.88m leap at the same venue in June, breaking the 22-year-old record of 6.83m held by Anju Bobby George, as reported by The New Indian Express.

Kalinga Stadium 'Lucky Ground'

Sojan expressed happiness at winning again at Kalinga Stadium, which she called her "lucky ground." Speaking after the event, she said, "Today, I am very much happy to win the gold medal again at Kalinga Stadium. The last time here I scripted a new national record. Before the Asian Games, this event is more of a warm up event and I need to maintain my rhythm. Kalinga Stadium is one of the best stadiums in our country." Looking ahead, Sojan said her dream is to win the Asian Games gold medal in Japan. "In the past I had faced a lot of injuries, however, now, I am fully fit thanks to my coach, physio and dietitians. My future target is 7m jumps. Our team will be here for the camp and I will work on my runway and jump," she added. She also spoke about her diet, saying: "I need to jump longer distances for which I have to be light. To maintain my weight, I am strictly following my diet, it's not easy to be always on a calorie-counted diet, but I have become adjustable to that."

Rohit Yadav's Javelin Triumph

In another highlight of the meet, Rohit Yadav won the javelin throw with a personal best of 87.68m on his sixth and final attempt, as reported by The Tribune. The 25-year-old improved his previous personal best of 87.05m, which he had set at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in June. His throw ranks as the fourth-best mark by an athlete in the world this season, behind Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage (92.62m), Germany's Julian Weber (90.40m), and India's Neeraj Chopra (88.05m). Yadav said his Commonwealth Games setback motivated him to perform better. Despite feeling nervous after a foul on his second attempt, he said he regained his rhythm to secure victory and is aiming for a personal best at the Asian Games. "I wasn't able to perform well at the Commonwealth Games. I still feel bad about it. That drive to really deliver was still pent up," he said.