India has emerged as the overall champion in the 4th South Asian Senior Athletics Championships 2025, held at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi, securing the top spot with an impressive haul of 20 gold medals. The nation's athletes demonstrated their dominance by also claiming 20 silver and 18 bronze medals, bringing their total count to 58.
Sri Lanka finished second with a total of 40 medals, including 16 gold, 14 silver, and 10 bronze. Nepal secured the third position with two silver and four bronze medals, while Bangladesh (3 bronze) and the Maldives (1 bronze) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Bhutan concluded the championship without a medal.
The final day of the competition saw India and Sri Lanka sharing the spoils, each winning eight gold medals. A notable moment was the Indian women's 4x400m relay quartet's victory in the last event, with Neeru Pathak overtaking her Sri Lankan rival in the final stretch.
In individual events, Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won gold in the javelin throw with a meet record of 84.29m, surpassing the previous record of 75.37m set in 1998. Uttam Patil of India secured the bronze medal in the same event. In the 400m hurdles, Ruchit Mori of India clinched gold with a time of 50.10 seconds.
Other notable Indian gold medalists include Mohd Sazid in the Men's Long Jump (7.68m) and Reet Rathore in the Women's High Jump (1.76m). Abhishek won gold in the Men's 10,000m with a time of 30:29.46, and Damneet Singh secured gold in the Men's Hammer Throw with a 66.99m throw. Amandeep Kaur won the 800m with a time of 2:04.66s. Sandeep Singh won the 200m in 21.23s.
Sri Lanka also had impressive performances, with Mohammad Yamick achieving a sprint double by winning the 200m gold with a time of 23.58 seconds, adding to her 100m gold from the opening day. Hatarabage Leka Nadeeka from Sri Lanka set a new meet record in the Women's Javelin Throw with a throw of 60.14m.
Sakshi Chavan and Neeru Pathak from India secured silver and bronze, respectively, in the 200m. India's dominance in the SAAF Senior Athletics Championships underscores its strength in regional athletics. The event made a comeback after 17 years, with the last edition held in Kochi in 2008, where India also topped the medal table.
