Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday, 24 June 2026 congratulated two Indian track-and-field athletes — Anushka Yadav and Dev Meena — for setting new national records and securing qualification for the Asian Games.

What happened

Anushka Yadav registered a throw of 67.02 metres in the hammer throw event, while Dev Meena cleared 5.46 metres in the pole vault. Both marks are new national records and meet the qualification standard for the Asian Games. Minister Mandaviya posted on X: 'Anushka Yadav (Hammer Throw, 67.02m) and Dev Meena (Pole Vault, 5.46m) have set new National Records and officially qualified for the Asian Games. Congratulations to both athletes on their incredible achievements!'

Context

The Asian Games is a quadrennial continental multi-sport event that serves as a key performance benchmark for Indian athletes on the road to the Olympics. Qualification marks in field events such as hammer throw and pole vault are among the more demanding standards, making these performances notable within Indian athletics. Ministerial acknowledgement of such achievements has become a consistent feature of the government's public communication around elite sport.

India's athletics programme has historically been overshadowed by cricket in public discourse, but individual field events have drawn increasing institutional attention in recent years. Record-setting performances are routinely highlighted at the ministerial level as indicators of systemic progress in non-cricket disciplines.

Policy backdrop

The Khelo India initiative, launched in 2017, was designed to build grassroots talent pipelines and provide structured support to elite athletes through dedicated competitions and training infrastructure. Both hammer throw and pole vault fall within the athletics disciplines that have benefited from centralised coaching camps and selection trials supported under such schemes. The government has framed measurable improvements — national records and international qualifications — as evidence of return on investment in sports development funding.

Mandaviya, who holds the dual portfolio of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, has been vocal about expanding India's medal prospects across disciplines beyond the traditional strongholds of wrestling and shooting.

Stakeholders and impact

For the Athletics Federation of India and the athletes' respective state associations, the records validate the competitive calendar and selection trial structure that surfaces talent ahead of major Games cycles. Anushka Yadav's performance in hammer throw and Dev Meena's pole vault mark now place both athletes in the national conversation for potential Asian Games medals. Sponsors, sports academies, and state governments that have backed these athletes are likely to receive increased visibility following ministerial recognition.

What's next

Both athletes are expected to enter the national training camp circuit ahead of the Asian Games, where coaching staff will work on refining technique and peaking performance at the right time. Parliamentary discussions on the sports budget and athlete support funding are an ongoing backdrop against which such qualifications carry additional political weight. Further qualifications across other athletics disciplines could follow as the national trials calendar progresses.