New Delhi, April 9 A star-studded field will compete in the Indian Athletics Series 3 here on Saturday, with the added motivation of performing on the newly-laid Mondo track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Several national record holders, including Animesh Kujur (men's 100m and 200m), Vishal TK (men's 400m), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men's shot put), and Hima Das (women's 400m), are in the running. Javelin thrower Sachin Yadav, who finished fourth in the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, will also be competing.
Their names are listed in the entry list issued by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), although the final participants will be known on Friday.
For the 26-year-old Hima, this will be her return to the track after two years, her last competition being at the National Inter-State Championships in June 2024.
In the men's 100m, Kujur will face a tough challenge from former national record holder Gurindervir Singh. Gurindervir won the gold medal in the 60m at the inaugural National Indoor Championships last month in Bhubaneswar, where Kujur was disqualified in the final for a false start.
Gurindervir's personal best in the 100m is 10.20 seconds, while Kujur's national record is 10.18 seconds.
"I will be competing in the Indian Athletics Series in New Delhi. There is the Mondo track there, and I want to run on the fast track," Kujur had said during the National Indoor Championships.
In the men's 200m, Kujur will compete against Vishal, who specializes in the 400m.
Vishal will be running his first individual 400m race after setting a national record by clocking 45.12 seconds at the National Inter-State Championships in Chennai in August 2025.
The 31-year-old Toor is entering the shot put competition with confidence, having already surpassed the 20m mark twice this season.
The men's javelin throw will feature almost all the top Indian athletes, except for two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, who is currently training abroad.
The 26-year-old Sachin Yadav, who exceeded expectations and finished fourth in the 2025 World Championships with a throw of 86.27m, will be competing in his first event after this impressive performance.
Other participants include Kishore Kumar Jena, Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, Vikrant Malik, and Shivam Lokhare.
Among the women, Hima will compete in both the 200m and 400m, alongside Sri Jyothika Dandi, Aishwarya Mishra, and MR Poovamma.
The women's high jump will feature young Haryana athlete and Asian champion Pooja Singh. Shaili Singh will compete against another promising athlete, Mubassina Mohammed, in the women's long jump. Both train at the Anju Bobby George Foundation in Bengaluru.
The meet also includes events in the U-20 category.