Bhubaneswar, June 24 (IANS) India’s hurdle queen Jyothi Yarraji wasted no time in making a mark on her return after a lengthy injury layoff as she achieved the qualifying standard for the upcoming Asian Games 2026 with a controlled run in the opening heats of the women’s 100m hurdles at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2026 on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old, who hails from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, clocked a competitive 3.14 seconds in her first race of the season on the opening day of the Inter-State Nationals.

Jyothi, who has shown immense resilience over the past year, has committed herself to rehabilitation and recovery at Reliance Foundation Sports. She won a silver medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 after being initially disqualified for a false start along with a Chinese athlete, but was later allowed to participate after a review.

The 26-year-old Jyothi, the national record holder in this event, was competing in her first tournament in 2026 after returning from a serious ACL injury that saw her out of action for over a year. Jyothi would be setting her sights on qualifying for the Asian Games again in the 100m hurdles and 200m events.

Nandhini K. clocked a brilliant 13.24s in the Women’s 100m Hurdles to achieve the qualification standard for the Asian Games 2026.

The competition is seeing a host of Commonwealth Games-bound athletes in action, including the likes of Animesh Kujur, Tejas Shirse, Yashas Palaksha, and Murali Sreeshankar. Also making a return to action will be long jump national record holder Jeswin Aldrin, who will jostle with Sreeshankar for a top-of-the-podium finish.

–IANS

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