Bapi Hansda: “Winning my first National Games Gold with a personal best is a special feeling”
Odisha Athletes win 5 Medals, Marking Best-Ever Athletics Tally at a National Games for the state
Bhubaneswar, 14th February: Odisha athletes delivered a stellar performance at the 2025 National Games in athletics in Uttarakhand, securing five medals—four Golds and one Silver—marking Odisha’s best-ever athletics display in a single edition of the National Games. The four Golds in athletics accounted for almost a third of the total Gold medals (14) won by the State during the National Games.
Animesh Kujur led the medal charge with three Golds, including a record-breaking sprint double in the 100m and 200m, and victory in the 4x100m relay alongside DM Jayaram, Lalu Bhoi, and Amiya Kumar Mallick. Animesh set a new meet record in the 100m with a time of 10.28s. Odisha also scripted a new meet record in the 4x100m relay with a time of 39.47s.
Bapi Hansda clinched Gold in the 400m with a personal best of 46.82s. Overjoyed with his win, Bapi shared, “Winning my first National Games Gold with a personal best is a special feeling, especially after returning from injury. I am grateful to the Odisha government and my coaches at the High Performance Centre for their unwavering support during my recovery. I hope I can keep continuing to perform at the senior level consistently and stay fit.”
Martin Owens, Head Coach, Odisha Reliance foundation High Performance Centre, said, “This was the most successful National Games for our athletes from Odisha. Animesh had a phenomenal tournament and was supported really well in the 4x100m relay. Bapi’s result was a pleasant surprise and shows his strength and resilience. The relay Gold with a new meet record was a big highlight because we set up the Odisha Relay Project in 2022 and the this is the team’s first ever Gold at the National Games, which is the culmination of a lot of hard work put in behind the scenes. Odisha is now the pace setter when it comes to the sprinting events in India.”
Animesh, who dominated all the events he participated in, said, “I am very happy because we are just at the beginning of the year and I won three Golds. What made me even happier was I had timings that were very close to my personal best in the 100m and 200m and we also set a new meet record in the 4x100m relay. We now want to aim for success at the international level. In my journey, the Odisha High Performance Centre has played a vital role as they have supported me in every step and all this success wouldn’t have been possible without that.”
The Silver medal was won by Swadhin Majhi in the men’s high jump. Swadhin cleared a personal best height of 2.11m, improving on his previous bronze medal finish in the last edition.
This impressive medal haul reflects the exceptional talent and dedication of Odisha’s athletes, backed by the world-class facilities and support of the Odisha government at the Odisha Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre.
