National Open Athletics: Manikanta Hoblidhar Wins 100m on Return From Injury, Kuldeep Kumar Sets Meet Record

Sprinter Manikanta Hoblidhar won the men’s 100m at the 65th National Open Athletics Championships in New Delhi on Friday, 9 October 2026, in his first major meet since a hamstring injury, the Hindustan Times reported.

Results at a Glance

Men’s 100m	Manikanta Hoblidhar (Karnataka), 10.25s
Silver	Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Railways), 10.43s
Bronze	Laukik Melge (SSCB), 10.45s
Men’s pole vault	Kuldeep Kumar, 5.30m (meet record)
Men’s hammer throw	Nirbhay Chaudhary, 69.42m
Women’s 100m hurdles	Moumita Mandal (Railways), 13.48s

The Comeback

Hoblidhar is a former national record holder. He ran 10.23 seconds in 2023 and improved to 10.19 at this meet last year.

Animesh Kujur and the current record holder, Gurindervir Singh (10.09), then went faster while he was out.

He tore his hamstring at a relay competition in March. The injury cost him the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

“It was a very tough period,” he said. “I am still not 100% fit, and it will take some time to get back to my best. Still, this result is fantastic to start with.”

On the first day he had run 10.36 in the heats and 10.30 in the semi-finals, The Hindu reported.

Pole Vault

Kuldeep Kumar, who finished tenth at the Asian Games, won the pole vault with a new meet record of 5.30m.

Another Return

Moumita Mandal of Railways, back from a shoulder injury, won the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.48 seconds and celebrated with a somersault.

“I missed the Asian Games. I love competitions and never think about medals. So it was very difficult to stay out and watch others compete,” said the athlete from West Bengal’s Hooghly district.

Other Results

• Vikrant Panchal of Railways ran 45.88 seconds in the men’s 400m, the only time under 46 seconds at the meet
• Rajasthan’s Nitisha was the fastest woman over 400m on the first day, in 53.80 seconds
• Several Asian Games relay runners did not take part

Sources: Hindustan Times, The Hindu (8–9 October 2026).

Featured image: India’s men’s 4x100m relay team at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, during the 2010 Commonwealth Games (file photo). Photo by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.