Key Points

Annu Rani delivered a stellar performance, securing gold in the women's javelin throw at the Indian Open 2025. Her 62.01m throw marked her best in nearly two years, reinforcing her comeback. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage dominated the men's javelin event with an 86.50m throw. Indian athletes shone across multiple disciplines, including Murali Sreeshankar's long jump victory.

Key Points: Olympian Annu Rani wins javelin gold at Indian Open 2025

  • Annu Rani clinched gold with a 62.01m throw at Kalinga Stadium
  • Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage won men's javelin with 86.50m
  • Murali Sreeshankar secured long jump gold with 8.13m leap
  • Indian athletes dominated multiple events including 100m and 400m races
3 min read

Olympian Annu Rani triumphs javelin throw title at Indian Open 2025 World Athletics

Annu Rani triumphs with 62.01m throw at Indian Open 2025, marking her best performance in nearly two years.

"Annu Rani managed to log two throws over 60m, showcasing her dominance in Bhubaneswar. – Olympics.com"

Bhubaneswar, August 10

At the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Sunday, Olympian Annu Rani outperformed her opponents to take home the women's javelin throw championship, according to Olympics.com.

At the Kalinga Stadium, Annu Rani had a top performance of 62.01 meters. The second and third place winners were Sri Lanka's N D.L.Hatarabag Leka (56.27m) and Deepika (54.20m). During last week's event in Poland, Annu Rani achieved her first throw over 60 meters in more than a year, signalling a successful week on the circuit. In reality, her winning throw of 62.59 meters was also her best in almost two years.

In Bhubaneswar, the 32-year-old Annu managed to log two throws over 60m - the second measuring 61.01m in her penultimate attempt.

In the meantime, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage won the men's javelin throw event with a throw of 86.50 meters. Pathirage, who also surpassed the World Championships qualifying mark of 85.50 meters, won bronze at the NC Classic in Bengaluru last month.

Shivam Lohakare was the best javelin throw athlete from India, finishing second with a 80.73m effort, while another Lankan, Sumeda J Ranasinghe, was third with a 80.65m throw. Sachin Yadav (79.80m) and Yashvir Singh (78.53m) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Shahnavaz Khan gave Murali Sreeshankar a hard fight, but Sreeshankar ultimately triumphed in the men's long jump competition with a season-best leap of 8.13 meters on his last attempt.

Sreeshankar, who was attempting a comeback after being sidelined by injury, has now won four straight competitions. With an 8.05-meter jump to win the Indian Open in Pune last month, he announced his comeback before taking first place in Portugal with a 7.75-meter performance.

He also aced the field at the Qosanov Memorial in Almaty earlier this month with a 7.94m jump.

In Bhubaneswar, Shahnavaz Khan finished second with 8.04m - to become the latest Indian to join the 8 m club in the long jump - in his fourth attempt. Sreeshankar fouled on his penultimate try before sealing the title in his sixth and final attempt. Lokesh Sathyanathan finished third with a 7.85m leap.

Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour results

Men's 100m: 1. Muhammad Azeem bin Mohd Fahmi (10.35); 2. Chamod Yodasinghe (10.43); 3. Danish Iftikhar Muha (10.50)

Women's 100m: 1. Abinaya Rajarajan (11.57); 2. Sneha SS (11.697); 3. Nithya Gandhe (11.700)

Women's 100m hurdles: 1. Pragyan Prasanti Sahu (13.74); 2. Nandhini Kongan (13.80); 3. Anjali C (14.00)

Men's 200m: 1. Animesh Kujur (20.77); 2. Seunghwan Ko (20.95); 3. Ragul Kumar (21.17)

Women's 200m: 1. Angel Silvia (23.95); 2. Nithya Gandhe (24.11); 3. Unnathi Aiyappa (24.56)

Men's 400m: 1. Vishal TK (45.72); 2. Amoj Jacob (45.86); 3. Santosh Kumar T (46.89)

Women's 400m: 1. Vijayakmari GK (53.40); 2. Devyaniba Mahendras (53.87); 3. Louise Evans (54.28)

Men's 800m: 1. Mohammed Afsal P (1:46.60); 2. Prakash Gadade (1:47.14); 3. Krishan Kumar (1:48:00)

Women's 800m: 1. Amandeep Kaur (2:04.31); 2. Huidrom Bhumeshwory (2:06.96); 3. Thota Sankeertana (2:07.17)

Women's 1500m: 1. Pooja (4:15.13); 2. Lili Das (4:17.66); 3. Amandeep Kaur (4:27.14)

Men's 5000m: 1. Waberi Igueh Houssein (14:05.46); 2. Abhishek Pal (14:10.60); 3. Sawan Barwal (14:13.41)

Men's javelin throw: 1. Rumesh Pathirage (86.50m); 2. Shivam Lohakare (80.73m); 3. Sumeda J Ranasinghe (80.65m)

Women's javelin throw: 1. Annu Rani (62.01m); 2. N D.L.Hatarabag Leka (56.27m); 3. Deepika (54.20m)

Men's triple jump: 1. Abdulla Aboobacker (16.53); 2. Karthik Unnikrishnan (16.42); 3. Gailey Venister D (16.26)

Men's long jump: 1. Murali Sreeshankar (8.13m); 2. Shahnavaz Khan (8.04m); 3. Lokesh Sathyanathan (7.85m)

Women's long jump: 1. Shaili Singh (6.28m); 2. Bhavani Yadav Bhagawati (6.13m); 3. Sandra Babu (6.10m)

Men's 4x400m relay: 1. Sri Lanka (3:08.22); 2. India A (3:08.37); 3. Iraq (3:08.74).

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So happy to see Indian athletes performing well across multiple events! But why are we still lagging in men's javelin? Shivam Lohakare did well but 80m won't cut it at world level. Need more investment in training facilities.
V
Vikram M
Sreeshankar's comeback story is amazing! 8.13m after injury troubles shows real champion mentality. And welcome to Shahnavaz Khan in the 8m club 👏 More competition will push our athletes to do better
R
Rohit P
Good performance overall but we need to be realistic. Except for Annu Rani and Sreeshankar, most marks won't qualify for global finals. Hope TOPS scheme identifies more young talents soon!
K
Kavya N
The women athletes are shining bright! From javelin to sprints to long jump - so many promising names. Special shoutout to young Shaili Singh in long jump. Future looks golden ✨
S
Siddharth J
Organizing such events in Bhubaneswar shows how athletics is spreading beyond traditional centers. More regional competitions will help discover hidden talents from smaller towns. Kudos to Odisha govt for sports infrastructure!
M
Meera T
Annu didi is my role model! From a small village

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