India Crowned Champion at SAAF 2025 in Ranchi

India emerged as the overall champion at the 4th South Asian Senior Athletics Championships 2025, held from October 24 to 26 at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Ranchi. Over three days of competition, Indian athletes showcased consistent dominance across track and field events, finishing with 20 gold, 20 silver, and 18 bronze medals – a total of 58 medals.

Sri Lanka finished second in the overall standings with 16 gold, 14 silver, and 10 bronze medals (total 40), maintaining a strong challenge throughout the tournament.

Best Athletes of the Meet

The championship also recognized outstanding individual performances.

• Best Male Athlete: Pathirage Rumesh Tharanga of Sri Lanka, who hurled the javelin 84.29m to score 1163 points and set a new meet benchmark.
• Best Female Athlete: Sanjana Singh of India, who won the 5000m race in 15:38.70, earning 1089 points and securing the top individual honor among women athletes.

Event Highlights

On the final day, India’s Ruchit Mori led in the men’s 400m hurdles, clocking 50.10 seconds, while Mohd. Sazid soared to 7.68m to win the long jump. In the men’s hammer throw, Damneet Singh clinched gold with a 66.99m effort.

Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage dominated the men’s javelin, while India’s Amandeep Kaur won the women’s 800m, and Reet Rathor cleared 1.76m to take gold in the women’s high jump.

In the distance events, W.A. Methmi Rasa Wijesuriya of Sri Lanka triumphed in the women’s 10,000m run, finishing ahead of India’s Ravina Gayakwad and Nepal’s Santoshi Shrestha.

The relays capped the event with a flourish. India’s women’s 4x400m relay team – Manisha Kumari, Olimba Steffi, Poovamma Raju, and Neeru Pahtak – set a new meet record of 3:34.70, while Sri Lanka’s men’s team narrowly beat India to win gold in the men’s 4x400m relay with a time of 3:05.12.

Team Standings

In team championships, India topped both the men’s and women’s categories:

• Men’s Team: India (10 Gold, 9 Silver, 10 Bronze – 29 total)
• Women’s Team: India (9 Gold, 11 Silver, 8 Bronze – 28 total)
  Sri Lanka finished second in both categories, showing impressive balance across disciplines.

A Showcase of Regional Excellence

Hosted by the Athletics Federation of India in association with the Jharkhand government, the championship brought together athletes from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives. The event not only highlighted emerging talent but also strengthened South Asia’s presence in international athletics.

The atmosphere at Birsa Munda Stadium reflected pride and sportsmanship as athletes from across the subcontinent celebrated personal bests, national records, and regional unity.