India Concludes World Athletics U20 Championships with Three Medals, High Jumper Pooja Singh Finishes Seventh
Oregon, USA – India’s campaign at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, USA, drew to a close with a commendable three-medal haul, mirroring the nation’s performance in the 2021 and 2022 editions. The final day saw high jumper Pooja Singh finish seventh in the women’s final, a result that, while respectable, fell short of the high expectations set by her recent national senior record.
The 19-year-old Pooja, who entered the competition as one of India’s strongest medal contenders, could only clear 1.84m in the final. She was unable to clear 1.87m in three subsequent attempts. This performance was notably below her personal best and the impressive 1.93m national senior record she established en route to winning gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in May. Pooja is also the reigning Senior Asian Athletics Championships gold medallist, underscoring her potential.
The gold medal in the women’s high jump was secured by Australia’s Izobelle Louison-Roe with a clearance of 1.92m. Hungary’s Lilianna Batori and Spain’s Aitana Alonso both achieved 1.90m, with Batori claiming silver and Alonso bronze.
India Finishes with Two Silver, One Bronze
India’s women’s 4x400m relay team also concluded their championship journey with a ninth-place finish in the final. The quartet of Bhoomika Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Tanu Chaudhary, and Thiya Arumugam clocked a time of 3:45.28, finishing last in the competitive field. The United States claimed gold in 3:29.15, followed by Australia (3:31.39) and Great Britain (3:32.08).
Despite these individual results, India’s overall medal count at the championships was positive, securing two silver medals and one bronze. This performance matches the country’s medal tally from the 2021 and 2022 editions of the prestigious junior athletics event.
The medal winners for India were:
- Ashish Yadav: Silver in the men’s javelin throw, opening India’s medal account.
- Basant Kumar Meghwal: Silver in the men’s high jump, adding to the nation’s success.
- Shahnavaz Khan: Bronze in the men’s long jump, rounding out the medal haul.
India Continues to Build U20 Medal Record
While the 2024 campaign concluded without a gold medal, the consistent three-medal haul underscores India’s growing presence and improved consistency at the global junior level in athletics. This recent success stands in stark contrast to the period between 2002 and 2018, during which India managed to win only four medals at the World Athletics U20 Championships.
That earlier period, however, did include some historic achievements:
- Neeraj Chopra: Gold in the men’s javelin throw in 2016.
- Hima Das: Gold in the women’s 400m in 2018.
Other notable past medalists include:
- Seema Antil: India’s first medalist at the championships, taking silver in the discus throw in 2002.
- Navjeet Kaur Dhillon: Bronze in the discus throw in 2014.
More recently, India has shown a significant surge in junior athletics:
- 2021 Edition: Three medals, including silver for Amit in the men’s 10,000m race walk and Shaili Singh in the women’s long jump, alongside a bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay.
- 2022 Edition: Three more medals, with Selva Prabhu Thirumaran and the mixed 4x400m relay team winning silver, and Rupal Chaudhary securing a bronze.
- 2024 Edition: This current edition, initially cited as only one medal for Aarti in the women’s 10,000m race walk, reflects a strong resurgence to the previous years’ performance. [Note: The provided text had a slight discrepancy here. It says "India managed only one medal in the 2024 edition" but then implies this current report is a return to stronger medal returns. For clarity, I’ve used the overarching "three-medal haul" as the main theme and acknowledged the previous statement while clarifying the current situation.]
The three-medal haul in this latest edition therefore represents a positive return to the stronger performances seen in 2021 and 2022, signaling a bright future for Indian athletics at the junior level.
