Overview
- Manikanta Hoblidhar won the men's 100m in 10.25 seconds on Friday after suffering stomach cramps the night before, taking gold at the 65th National Open at JLN Stadium.
- The Karnataka sprinter is returning from a grade‑2 hamstring tear sustained in March and said he is still not fully fit after months of rehabilitation and a September state meet tune‑up.
- A technical review changed the morning’s race‑walk result when Servin Sebastian received a two‑minute penalty for a rule violation, which dropped him to fourth and elevated Suraj Panwar to winner.
- Other comeback and selection‑relevant wins included Railways’ Moumita Mandal in the women's 100m hurdles (13.48), Akash Raj in the men's 400m (46.24), and Manpreet Kaur in shot put (17.07m).
- The National Open result places Hoblidhar back in the domestic pecking order despite his 10.25 being short of his 10.19 meet best, and selectors will watch his fitness and form ahead of future team picks.