Indian Open U23 Athletics: Animesh Kujur, Dev Meena, Jyoti win gold medals

Animesh Kujur continued his impressive form, clinching gold in the men’s 100m final with a solid time of 10.40 seconds at the Indian Open U23 Athletics in Patna, Bihar, on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jyoti in the women’s javelin throw and Dev Meena in the men’s pole vault delivered standout performances on the second day of the competition, both securing gold with personal bests.

Jyoti broke her own meet record, claiming the gold medal with a remarkable throw of 58.49m on her fifth attempt, surpassing the young Deepika, who secured silver with a throw of 54.71m.

Dev Meena continued his upward trajectory this year, securing the gold in the men’s pole vault final with an impressive personal best jump of 5.20m. He attempted to break the national record of 5.31m but narrowly missed the mark, failing all three attempts at 5.32m. Nonetheless, he took home the gold medal.

Meanwhile, Ankita, India’s only Paris Olympics participant at the event, claimed the title in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a strong time of 10:17.25.

Despite primarily competing in the 5000m and 10,000m flat events, Ankita’s debut in the steeplechase did not hinder her performance, as she clinched the gold with ease.

In the men’s decathlon, Jashbir Nayak of Odisha maintained his stellar form from Day 1 and secured the title with a total of 7065 points, surpassing the 7000-point mark with a strong all-around performance.