Athletics
Multiple records fall on the final day of National Junior Athletics meet in Karnataka
Several athletes breach Asian qualification marks as standout performances highlight final day in Tumkur.
Sprinter Abhay Singh (Photo credit: AFI)
Records continued to be rewritten on the concluding day of the 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition at the Mahatma Gandhi Stadium on Sunday, with several athletes also achieving qualification standards for upcoming Asian junior competitions.
Sprinter Abhay Singh delivered one of the standout performances, clinching gold in the men’s 200m with a time of 20.82 seconds. The effort established both a new national and meet record, surpassing the previous mark of 21.02 seconds set by N Srinivas in 2021.
In the field events, Basant cleared 2.21m in the men’s high jump to secure gold and improve the meet record of 2.19m set in 2015. Meanwhile, Mogali Venkatram clocked 1:49.02 to win the men’s 800m, bettering the existing meet record and finishing inside the Asian qualifying mark.
Field events and women’s categories see record-breaking efforts
In the women’s javelin throw, Poonam registered a distance of 51.64m to set a new meet record, surpassing a long-standing mark from 2004. Sadhana Ravi also impressed, claiming gold in the women’s triple jump with a record-breaking leap of 12.97m.
Elsewhere, strong performances were recorded across track and field events, with multiple athletes crossing Asian junior qualification standards. Notable winners included Rushiraj Singh Gohil in the 200m, Sourabh Rawat in the 3000m, and Sumit Rathee in the steeplechase. In the women’s events, Bhoomika Nehate secured gold in the 200m, while Mani Yadav dominated the 3000m steeplechase.
The competition highlighted the depth of emerging talent in Indian athletics, with a large number of medal winners meeting qualification benchmarks, reinforcing the country’s growing pipeline at the junior level.