Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh created history by winning the men’s team trophy for the first time at the recently concluded 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. Marking the state’s strong performance, 12 of the 22 UP athletes who participated in the championships have been selected for the Asian Games to be held in Japan in Oct.Uttar Pradesh’s men’s team finished with 71 points as the state contingent returned with 20 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and three bronze.Talking to TOI, Uttar Pradesh Athletics Association secretary Narendra Kumar said the achievement marked a landmark moment for athletics in the state. “This is the first time in Uttar Pradesh’s athletics history that the state has won the men’s team trophy at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships. All credit goes to our athletes, who worked extremely hard,” Kumar said.“We ensured that athletes received timely information about events. We also organised two-day meets so that athletes could get proper rest between events, in line with AFI rules. This helped them deliver strong performances,” he added.Kumar said the UPAA conducted 11 state-level competitions along with two national meets during 2024-25 and five state meets till June 2026, helping athletes gain valuable competition exposure.He also credited the Uttar Pradesh govt’s sports quota policy for providing job security to athletes. “The state govt’s provision of government jobs through the sports quota has had a positive impact. The Athletics Federation of India also sends elite athletes abroad for training exposure, while some private foundations are supporting top athletes,” Kumar said.Kumar said Uttar Pradesh has a rich athletics tradition, with several prominent athletes, including Gulab Chand and Bahadur Prasad, emerging from the eastern region of the state. However, he noted that western Uttar Pradesh currently dominates track and field events.“At the same time, athletes such as javelin throwers Rohit Yadav and Sachin Yadav, and long jumper Shahnawaz Khan, have emerged from eastern Uttar Pradesh,” he said.Asian Games-bound athletes Prachi Chaudhary and Rohit Yadav said the support of the Uttar Pradesh govt had played a major role in boosting athletes’ confidence.“The Uttar Pradesh govt has played a crucial role by giving us job security. When our future is secure, our morale is high, and that helps us produce strong results,”Prachi said.Javelin thrower Rohit Yadav said, “The govt is offering gazetted jobs and substantial cash rewards, which motivate us like fuel. Our sports infrastructure has also improved significantly.”