Ankita Dhyani runs 4:06.75 1500m PB to finish second at Stumptown Twilight

Ankita Dhyani ran a personal best 4:06.75 to place second at the Stumptown Twilight meet in Portland on Saturday, cutting 5.53 seconds off her previous best.

Dhyani's earlier mark of 4:12.28 had been her career benchmark until Saturday, and she had never previously gone under 4:10 in the 1500m. Her 4:06.75 now stands as the fourth-fastest 1500m time by an Indian woman, is the fastest by an Indian this season, and is the third-fastest mark in Asia this year. The result adds to a season in which she has split focus between the 1500m and the 3000m steeplechase, with the Asian Games in view.

At Stumptown Twilight she breached the four-minute-ten barrier for the first time and finished second in a competitive field, lowering her personal best from 4:12.28 to 4:06.75. The improvement of more than five seconds represents the biggest progression of her 1500m career.

In the 3000m steeplechase this season, Dhyani won the National Federation Cup in 9:48.16. She subsequently cleared the Asian Games qualification standard at the Inter-State Championships in the steeplechase.

The women's 1500m selection picture has shifted since the Inter-State Championships, where no athlete met the Asian Games qualifying standard in that event. Since then both Pooja and Dhyani have gone inside the qualifying mark this season, while Pooja has also breached the qualification standard in the 800m. Parul Chaudhary has been named in the provisional Asian Games list for the 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase.

The Athletics Federation of India will now have to weigh its options before finalising the women's 1500m selection, and Dhyani's latest performance has strengthened her case considerably as the Asian Games approach.