Rupal Chaudhary will begin afresh when she lines up at the 15th leg of the National Championships in her hometown, Meerut, on Wednesday. The 400m runner, who shone at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships with three medals, including silver in the 400m, has been out of competition since 2025 due to knee injury.
She became the first Indian athlete to win two medals in the same edition of the event. Rupal first caught national attention with her performances at the U20 World Athletics Championships in 2022, where she won two medals, including a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and a bronze in the women’s 400m. Her time of 51.85 seconds in the event still stands as her personal best.
“It’s a matter of great pride for all of us that our own athlete Rupal will be competing in a national championship for the first time on her home turf,” Meerut District Athletics Association secretary Anu Kumar said on Monday.
