India seal record four medals at World Athletics U20; Pooja Singh seventh in high jump
India concluded the World Athletics U20 Championships with their best-ever medal haul of four medals, including two silver and two bronze. High jumper Pooja Singh, however, endured a disappointing final, finishing seventh with a clearance of 1.84m.
The 19-year-old, who holds the senior national record of 1.93m, could not match that form in the final. She failed to clear the bar at 1.87m in three attempts. Australia's Izobelle Louison-Roe claimed the gold with a jump of 1.92m, while Hungary's Lilianna Batori and Spain's Aitana Alonso both cleared 1.90m to take silver and bronze respectively.
In May, Pooja had won gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships with her record-breaking jump of 1.93m, which also made her the reigning champion at the Senior Asian Athletics Championships. She was expected to challenge for a medal but fell short on the day.
The Indian women's 4x400m relay team also missed the mark, finishing ninth and last in the final with a time of 3 minutes 45.28 seconds. The quartet of Bhoomika Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Tanu Chaudhary and Thiya Arumugam could not keep pace with the top teams. The United States won gold in 3:29.15, ahead of Australia (3:31.39) and Great Britain (3:32.08).
India's medal winners were Ashish Yadav (silver, men's javelin), Basant Kumar Meghwal (silver, men's high jump), Shahnavaz Khan (bronze, men's long jump), and Aarti (bronze, women's 10,000m race walk). This four-medal haul surpasses the three medals India secured in both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the championships.
India's improved performance marks a significant rise from earlier decades. Between 2002 and 2018, India managed only four medals in total, including golds from Neeraj Chopra (men's javelin, 2016) and Hima Das (women's 400m, 2018). Seema Antil had opened India's account with a silver in discus throw in 2002, and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon added a bronze in the same event in 2014.
In the 2021 edition, Amit (men's 10,000m race walk) and Shaili Singh (women's long jump) won silver, while the mixed 4x400m relay team took bronze. The 2022 edition saw silvers from Selva Prabhu Thirumaran (men's triple jump) and the mixed relay squad, along with a bronze from Rupal Chaudhary (women's 400m).
While the overall outcome was historic for India, the performances of Pooja and the women's relay team served as a reminder of the gaps still to be bridged at the global level. Nevertheless, the championships showcased the depth of Indian athletics at the junior level, with four medals across different disciplines.
In the final tally, India's junior athletes demonstrated a competitive edge across sprints, jumps, throws and race walking, signalling a broadening of the country's athletics base. The three-medal haul in the previous two editions had set a benchmark, and this year's quartet has raised it further.
