Seven competitors from Odisha secured top-three positions in respective events of the Indian Open Athletics Meet, which was held at Savitribai Phule Pune University Sports Complex in Pune, Maharashtra on 12 July 2025. A total of 13 athletes from Odisha submitted entries for this one-day meet.

Among the seven, former National record holder Amiya Kumar Mallick, Laxmipriya Kisan and Manisha Merel won first positions, while Abhinash Sahu, Sarun Payasingh, Swadhin Kumar Majhi and Ananya Singh claimed second positions.

It may be noted that, Indian Open is a sort of qualifying or preparatory organised meet to help athletes to maintain their form during off season, assess their performance and get ready for participation in National and Inter-State championships. Contrary to general notion, Indian Open does not offer medals or prize money.

But in its official social media postings, the Department of Sports & Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, touted the top-three positions as medal achievements. Did the DSYS made these misleading posting with an intention to boost the reputation of an under-performing High Performance Centre? If not, the DSYS should clarify. 

TOP-THREE POSITION SECURING ODISHA ATHLETES:

First Position: Amiya Kumar Mallik, mens 100m Race A, 10.63 seconds.
First Position: Laxmipriya Kisan, womens 800m, 2:13.71.
First Position: Manisha Merel, womens long jump, 5.72 metres.

Second Position: Abhinash Sahu, mens 100m Race B, 10.77 seconds.
Second Position: Sarun Payasingh, mens long jump, 7.68 metres.
Second Position: Swadhin Kumar Majhi, mens high jump, 2.10 metres.
Second Position: Ananya Singh, womens long jump, 5.12 metres.