Hoblidhar opened his campaign by clocking 10.36 seconds in the heats before improving his performance to 10.30 seconds in the semifinals. His return comes at a competitive time for the event, as he looks to challenge the current national leaders who took charge during his time away from the sport.
Record-breaking performances and field event highlights
While the track events saw the return of familiar faces, the field events produced significant milestones. Pole vaulter
The hammer throw saw local favorite Nirbhay Chaudhary assert his dominance. The national record holder produced two efforts beyond the 69m mark, ultimately securing the gold with a throw of 69.42m on his fourth attempt. Meanwhile, Seema Kaliramna reinforced her standing as the country's leading discus thrower, winning gold with a distance of 57.63m, finishing nearly five meters ahead of her closest competitor, Nitika Kumari.
Track developments and notable absences
The men's 400m saw a reshuffled field in the absence of several prominent Asian Games relay team members. Railways' Vikrant Panchal capitalized on the opportunity, recording the only sub-46-second time of the day with a 45.88-second finish. In the women's 400m, Rajasthan's Nitisha emerged as the fastest in the semifinals with a time of 53.80s, advancing alongside Priya Mohan.
The 10,000m event featured Abhishek Pal, who competed following a ruling by the anti-doping disciplinary panel that allowed him to participate in domestic competitions pending the final disposal of his case. The race was ultimately won by Shivaji Madappa of the RSPB, who clocked 30:30.54. In the women's 100m final, Giridharani Ravikumar took the top spot with a time of 11.48s, leading a podium that included Srabani Nanda and Priyanka Sikarwar.
