Sunita Subba rewrites women’s national record for 24-hour run IAU 24-Hour World Championship in Albi
Sudeep Pakrashi: India’s ultra-runner Sunita Subba smashed the current national record at the 2025 IAU 24 Hour World Championships held in Albi, France, on 18th and 19th October. Sunita covered a distance of 217.327 kilometers during the stipulated 24 hours, surpassing the national record by a huge margin. The existing national record was held by Anju Saini, who had covered 204.314 km during the IAU 24 Hour Asia and Oceania Championships held in Bengaluru in 2022. Sunita Subba, starting her running career in Darjeeling in 2016 in a half-marathon, did not have any coach or systematic guidance. Out of passion, a sheer determination, and an indomitable mental strength, Sunita overcame with all her challenges. After the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Sunita signed up for a 10-day virtual run challenge. She revealed, “I could do it only for eight days, covering a distance of about 330-350 km.” Then she showed her brilliance, winning the 122-kilometer Hell Ultra in 2022, a race from Leh to Nubra Valley that crosses the 17,582-foot Khardung La Pass. Since then Sunita has been called the ‘wonder girl’ of Darjeeling. In July 2024, Sunita won the women’s race in the 24-hour stadium run held in Bengaluru, covering a distance of 188 km, helping her to qualify for the world championships. After she was chosen to represent the country at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Albi, France, Sunita set about doing her training in Darjeeling, where she resides. “I used to train alone, sometimes running for six hours, sometimes eight hours. I would keep my water and other supplements near the gate of Bhanu Bhawan on Mall Road,” she said. An employee of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Sunita is often forced to juggle her finances in order to participate in running events. She was worried about arranging finances for the Albi, but after she was enlisted as an Enerjiva athlete, many of those tensions were taken off her plate. Enerjiva, a sports nutrition brand, sponsored many of the athletes for the Albi championships. Also, for the first time in India’s ultra-running history, two women, along with Sunita, crossed the 200-kilometre mark, surpassing the previous national record of 204 km.
India to face stiff challenge from Japan, Australia, and Chinese Taipei in the AFC Under-20 group stage
India will be facing stiff challenges in the group stage of the AFC Under-20 Women’s football championship main draw from Japan, Australia, and Chinese Taipei. The final draw ceremony took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. India is one of the 11 teams (eight group winners and three best-ranked runners-up) to make the cut for the tournament, joining host Thailand. The Joakim Alexanderrson-led side qualified for the tournament after topping its group ahead of Indonesia, Myanmar, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in August. India will face a tough challenge from Japan, the last edition’s runner-up, and also a record six-time champion. It also won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2018 and was runner-up in 2024. Meanwhile, Australia finished in third place in the 2024 edition of the U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, while Chinese Taipei was knocked out in the group stage. The competition is set to take place from 1st to 18th April next year.
Plans to demolish New Delhi’s iconic Nehru Stadium for a new Sports City!
New Delhi’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium is being planned for dismantlement to rebuild a Sports City that will have venues for all major disciplines, along with residential facilities for athletes, according to a report published by The Indian Express. According to the report, the Union sports ministry is currently researching and studying various global models for such projects. A source close to the Union Sports Ministry revealed, on condition of anonymity, that there is no fixed timeline for the project at this stage, since it is still in the ideation phase. The assessment of existing sports cities, such as the one in Doha, is ongoing. Only after these assessments will the planning phase and timeline be determined. The JLN Stadium was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games. Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the facility underwent a Rs 961 crore makeover, and recently, before the World Para Athletics Championship, a further Rs 50 crore was spent on upgradation. Currently, apart from the main football stadium and athletics track, the sports complex houses an archery academy, badminton courts, Sports Authority of India (SAI) offices, the National Anti Doping Agency, and the National Dope Testing Laboratory, among others. When asked what will happen to them, the source said, “All the offices will be relocated and similarly, the main stadium will be dismantled. Residential complexes will be built so that when athletes come here to participate in an event, they can stay near the stadium.” The ministry wants to utilize the 102-acre area of the stadium complex, much of which is currently unused. The JLN Stadium, with its 60,000 capacity, has hosted major events including the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2017 U17 FIFA World Cup. Most recently, the stadium hosted the first-ever World Para Athletics Championships. Ahead of the tournament, two new Mondo tracks in the main stadium and practice area were laid, while 10,000 new seats were installed in the lower spectators’ gallery. Additionally, the stadium was made wheelchair friendly with new lifts and accessible washrooms.
