Meerut’s athletes are asserting themselves increasingly on the national — and now international — stage, and the results at the 65th National Interstate Senior Athletic Championship offer a vivid example of that rise.
Two sprinters and a jumper connected to Meerut’s thriving training ecosystem cleared the Asian Games qualifying marks, signalling both individual excellence and the maturation of local coaching, institutions, and talent pathways.
On the women’s side, Neeru Pathak clocked 53.47 seconds in the 400m, finishing fourth and comfortably inside the Asian Games qualifying standard of 53.72. Neeru’s run is not just a personal breakthrough but it highlights the growing depth of women’s sprinting emerging from Meerut and other regions of Western Uttar Pradesh such as Aligarh, where she hails from.
Her performance demonstrates that female athletes from smaller towns and cities are now receiving the coaching, facilities and competitive exposure required to perform under pressure at major national championships.
Besides her, Meerut’s Khyati Mathur has emerged as one of Uttar Pradesh’s most promising high jumpers, and her qualification for the Asian Games marks a major step in her career. She cleared 1.80 metres in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, meeting the qualifying mark and securing her place for the Games in Japan.
In fact, Khyati’s rise reflects years of steady progress and consistent performance at the national level. She had already built a strong reputation with medals in national and junior competitions, and her name has been associated with technical precision, calm under pressure, and regular improvement in the high jump. In June 2024, her personal best was listed at 1.86 metres, showing the level she is capable of reaching.
“Here in Meerut and adjoining areas, youngsters follow each other and athletics is not only a sport for them, but a way to prove supremacy over each other,” said coach Gaurav Tyagi on Monday. “People here have genuine ego to prove a point to others and athletics has been the best way to do it,” he added.
He, however, said that Khyati’s success at the junior level in the past left everyone to start following high jump and one would be surprised to know that over a dozen women jumpers of almost the same calibre are training here and they are passionate about high jump.
“When we had Priyanka Goswami walking from Meerut at the international level, a huge number of girls started following her and now I have over 250 athletes under my training in different events,” said Gaurav.
Meerut’s men too did well at Bhubaneswar as the men’s 400m saw Jay Kumar record 45.73 seconds to take third place and pass the Asian Games qualifying mark of 45.97. Jay, who trains and studies around the Delhi-NCR belt Noida, represents the region’s ability to produce male sprinters who can compete at the continental level. His podium finish and qualifying time underline how Meerut’s training networks are producing athletes capable of translating domestic competition into international opportunity.
Both athletes come from Nanak Chand Sports Academy and are students of NAS College, Meerut — a combination that encapsulates the multiplying support structures driving the city’s sporting success. The coaching duo of Vishal and Amita Saxena deserves particular recognition.
Their guidance illustrates a growing trend in Indian athletics: specialized, long-term coaching relationships that prioritize technique, race strategy, and periodized training to peak at key events. “We are fighters in our lives so here in this part of Uttar Pradesh, people dare to do something big and the rise of athletics and athletes here is one of the reasons for that daring,” said Meerut’s Athletics Association’s secretary, Anu Kumar.
He also said that Meerut’s athletes are so daring that they don’t even mind travelling from Meerut to Delhi everyday for training at different venues there. “We have synthetic athletics track almost ready at the Kailash Prakash Stadium, but we are still waiting for the equipments,” he said, adding, “In Meerut alone there are over 500 athletes in different disciplines and I am sure that this time, we will have many of them coming back home with medals around their necks.”
He also believed that Meerut’s rising influence is part talent, part coaching excellence, and part ecosystem-building. “The city’s athletes are now visible not only at state and national meets but are also stepping onto continental stages. This progress inspires younger athletes in the region — particularly girls and those from smaller towns — to pursue athletics seriously,” he further said.
