Veteran javelin thrower Annu Rani and long jump ace Murali Sreeshankar lived up to expectations on Sunday by winning their respective events at India Open 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour in Bhubaneswar. The bronze level event went off smoothly but the quality of competitions did not rise to any great heights.

Sreeshankar was up against rising teenager Shahnavaz Khan, who won gold in Uttarakhand National Games in February. The 17-year-old Khan was leading with his fourth round jump of 8.04m, while Sreeshankar was second with 7.95m.

But the 26-year-old Sreeshankar produced 8.13m in his final attempt to take the gold in dramatic fashion for his fourth title in a row since coming back from a long injury lay-off. He is, however, yet to breach the Tokyo World Championships direct entry mark of 8.27m.

Khan became the latest entrant to the 8m club in the Indian men’s long jump. His earlier best was 7.90m. In women’s javelin, Asian Games champion Annu Rani bagged the gold with a fourth round throw of 62.01m, thereby strengthening her chances of making it to the Tokyo World Championships in September.

Rani, representing Uttar Pradesh, had another 60m-plus throw — a 61.01m in her fifth attempt — as she continued her good form. Before Sunday, the 32-year-old was on 30th spot in the Road to Tokyo list after her season’s best of 62.59m in Poland on August 6.

Thirty-six athletes are to compete in the women’s javelin throw event in Tokyo. She is yet to breach the automatic qualification mark of 64m. On Wednesday, she registered her first 60m-plus throw in more than a year as she won the javelin competition title at the 8th International Wiesław Maniak Memorial meet in Szczecin, Poland.

Her national record stands at 63.82m, which she achieved in 2022.

Animesh Kujur wins gold

Meanwhile, star sprinter Animesh Kujur won gold in the men’s 200m. The 22-year-old pulled up after a few paces in his men’s 100m heat race in the morning. He then came out to run his 200m heat half an hour later and qualified for the final with a time of 20.99 seconds.

In the evening, he ran 20.77 seconds in the 200m final to win the gold. Ko Seunghwan of Korea (20.95 seconds) and another Indian Ragul Kumar (21.17 seconds) were second and third respectively. Kujur, representing Odisha, holds national records in both 100m (10.18 seconds) and 200m (20.32 seconds).

Men’s javelin throwers disappoint

The men’s javelin event disappointed the crowd at the Kalinga Stadium as the Indian participants barely crossed the 80m mark. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who finished third in the NC Classic hosted by Neeraj Chopra, took the men’s javelin gold with his first round throw 86.50m, thereby breaching the World Championships direct entry mark of 85.50m.

India’s 20-year-old Shivam Lohakare, the latest entrant in the 80m club at the Indian Open Athletics Meet in Pune last month with 80.95m, took the silver with 80.73m. Another Sri Lankan Sumedha Ranasinghe was third with 80.65m, while India’s Rohit Yadav (80.35m) and Asian Championships silver winner Sachin Yadav (79.80m) were fourth and fifth respectively.