Indian athletes preparing for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya are leveraging cutting-edge smart track technology at the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bengaluru, giving coaches real-time access to performance data that was previously impossible to capture manually. The national coaching camp, running until 8 September, is sanctioned by the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and is bringing together eight elite athletes for the final push before the Games.

Who Is Training and What Is at Stake

The camp features 800m runner Krishan Kumar, steeplechase star Avinash Sable, high jumpers Aadarsh Ram and Supriya B, decathlete Thowfeeq N, middle- and long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary, and race walkers Manju Rani and Priyanka. All eight are part of India's approved 73-member athletics contingent — 35 men and 38 women — for the Games, which are scheduled from 19 September to 4 October in Aichi-Nagoya.

How the Smart Track Works

The smart track, installed in 2024, uses magnetic timing gates embedded beneath the surface of the synthetic track — both on the straight and around the curve — to capture live data during every run. According to Suresh Kumar, Coach (Athletics) at SAI NCOE Bengaluru, the system delivers real-time speed readings, split timings at each gate, total timing, stride length, and stride frequency simultaneously.

'This is one of a kind in India,' Kumar said. 'When the athlete runs, we get the real-time speed data. We get the split timings wherever the gates are placed, then the total timing we get, as well as the stride length and the stride frequency. All this data is captured in real time. This helps a lot for the athletes in the training,' he explained.

An accompanying app makes the data immediately accessible for post-session analysis. Notably, the system can be retrofitted onto any existing synthetic track and, according to Kumar, can be installed within a single day.

A Proven Asset for Elite Athletes

The track has already demonstrated its value at the highest level. Para-athletics stars Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Mohammed Basil used it extensively ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, where they claimed gold and silver respectively in the men's 100m T47 category — finishing first and second. The technology replicates electronic competition timing during training, giving athletes a more precise benchmark for their performances.

'The athletes are very happy because they get to understand and find out the real data based on the electronic timing, not just during training but in any competitions that take place here,' Kumar said.

All-Weather Reliability and Coaching Staff

One practical advantage of the embedded system is its resilience to weather. Unlike portable timing equipment that can be disrupted by rain or dust, the magnetic gates remain functional under all conditions. 'We don't have to worry about the weather. We don't have to worry about the wear and tear, nothing. It's just like it's already there. You just need to run over in between that. The real-time data is always available,' Kumar noted.

The camp's coaching panel is equally well-equipped, featuring race-walking coach Ronald Gerd Weigel, jumps coach Sahana Kumari Nagaraj Gobbargumpi, coach Kalyan Chaudhary, and masseuse Meena Sagar Ugale. The combination of elite coaching and sports science infrastructure positions the SAI Bengaluru centre as a critical launchpad for India's medal ambitions at Aichi-Nagoya.

With the Asian Games less than three weeks away, the Bengaluru camp represents India's most technologically advanced pre-competition preparation cycle in athletics to date.