From representing the nation in international events and featuring in an ad-shoot with Akshay Kumar, Mohali’s triple-jumper Niharika Vashisht has now delivered a commanding performance to breach the Asian Games qualification mark.During the Indian Athletics Series-3 in New Delhi, she clinched the top spot in the women’s triple-jump event with a distance of 13.41m. She also emerged as the only athlete to cross the 13m mark.“I am really happy to breach the Asian Games qualification mark. My aim is to clear the Commonwealth Games qualification event. The ultimate aim is to bag a medal for the nation in either of these tournaments,” said Niharika. The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19.The international triple-jumper is a national medallist and had represented Panjab University at the International World University Games.In the national capital, she started with 12.84m jump, followed by a foul attempt. In her third leap, she recorded a 13.29m jump, followed by another controlled effort of 13.25m. Her best jump of 13.41m came in the fifth round, before she concluded with another foul.“The off-season really went well. I was training at multiple venues, including Chandigarh and Panchkula, which helped me to get adjusted to the condition in no time. I tried my best for breaching the mark in the 2022 Asian Games as well, but it was a hard time. Later, I suffered an injury but thankfully, recovered and returned to my practice. The upcoming months are really important for me, considering the preparation for the international events under completely different conditions and setup,” she added.Last year, she won five medals at various national events for Punjab, including an important one with a clear jump of 13.27m during the 38th National Games in Dehradun.