The fifth and last day of the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship proved to be a disappointing day for host Odisha as it failed to win a single medal at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar today. The 29-member Odisha squad finished seventh with a total of six medals, which include three gold, one silver and two bronze.

Tamil Nadu topped the tally with 20 medals, including nine gold, nine silver and two bronze, while Uttar Pradesh finished second with 20 medals, which featured nine gold,  eight silver and three bronze. Uttar Pradesh men and Haryana women emerged team champions with 71 and 82 points respectively.

Tamil Nadu bagged the overall champions trophy with 138 points. Kerala long jumpers Sreeshankar Murli and Ancy Sojan E were awarded as the best male and female athletes respectively.

Among Odisha athletes in action on the final day, star javelin thrower Kishore Jena finished fifth with a performance of 77.21 metres, while woman heptathlon international Purnima Hembram finished fourth with a total of 5,263 points.

Odisha mens 4x400m relay team, comprising Astik Pradhan, Malaya Barik, Swapanile Ahir and Bapi Hansda, came close to a bronze medal before finishing fourth with a time of 3:13.53.

Susmita Tigga secured fifth position in womens 3000m steeplechase, clocking 11:16.04s. Mahek Nasrin Dayan finished 13th with a leap of 1.55m in womens high jump. Sarun Payasingh also ended 13th with a leap of 7.28m in mens long jump.
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PHOTO: Odisha javelin star Kishore Jena emotes after finishing fifth at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar on 28 June 2026.