Sudeshna shivankar

National Open Athletics Championships: Former national record holder Manikanta Hoblidhar lit up a rain-affected day at the National Open Athletics Championships on Sunday, smashing his own meet record to win the men’s 100m title in 10.19 seconds, the second fastest time ever by an Indian sprinter.

At the Birsa Munda Stadium, the 24-year-old displayed superb consistency, having equalled his previous meet record of 10.23 in the semifinals before powering past a quality field in the final. He finished well ahead of Pranav Gurav (10.31) and Harsh Raut (10.38), underlining his dominance despite difficult conditions.

Manikanta’s winning time was just 0.01 seconds shy of Animesh Kujur’s national record of 10.18. After the race, he admitted the wet track had hampered his rhythm. “I was aiming for 10.10, but the wet track slowed down my pace. My target is to get an individual medal at the 2026 Asian Games,” said Manikanta, who also bettered his personal best of 10.22.