Ujjawal Choudhary smashes 10-year-old U20 National Record in Discus Throw

Haryana’s Ujjawal Choudhary made history at the India Open Throws in Navi Mumbai, breaking the Indian U20 discus throw national record twice in a single competition, on Thursday.

The young athlete first surpassed the previous record of 58.11m with a throw of 58.25m in his fourth attempt. But he was not done yet. In his very next attempt, he launched the discus to a stunning 59.34m, emphatically rewriting the record books.

The previous national record of 58.11m was set by Haryana’s Sachin Dalal on May 10, 2014, at the Junior Federation Cup in Chennai. Dalal had broken Kripal Singh’s long-standing record of 58.10m by just one centimetre in a fiercely contested field. His throw also secured him a spot in both the Asian and World Championships, marking a significant milestone for Indian athletics at the time.

Exactly 10 years, 10 months, and 10 days later, Ujjawal has now eclipsed Dalal’s feat, pushing Indian discus throwing to new heights.

Ujjawal’s record-breaking performance not only signals his immense potential but also sets the stage for greater milestones ahead. With his current form and steady improvement, breaking the 60m barrier seems like the next logical step.

Indian athletics has found another promising talent, and the future looks incredibly bright for this young discus thrower.

Speaking after his win, Choudhary said, “I prepared in the pre-season in South Africa and was confident of doing well. I’m very happy that I broke the national record and am now targeting the Asian Championships later this year.”

Other results

In the marquee men's javelin throw event's qualification round, Karnataka's Shashank Patil topped the charts with a throw of 72.48m. Army's Nitesh Yadav (72.34m) and Sunny Sheoran (71.43m) finished second and third.

In the U-18 discus throw, Usmanali Khan won Gold with a best throw of 55.11m. Speaking post his Gold, Usmanali said, “I’m seeing a lot of improvement in my performance since becoming a part of Reliance Foundation. The training facilities and infrastructure are really world class here. It is one of the best places in India to train at and I have been working a lot on my technique.”

Sonu (Delhi) and Yashraj Jain (Madhya Pradesh) won silver and bronze in the category by hurling the discus to a distance of 52.15m and 51.44m respectively.

In the first senior competition of the day, Haryana’s Seema won Gold in the women’s discus throw event with an impressive effort of 56.39m, with Neetika Verma and Priya winning silver (50.23m) and bronze (48.88m).

The U20 women’s discus throw event was won by Rajasthan’s Nikita Kumari 46.78m. In the men’s U18 shot put, Maharashtra’s Aryan Satpute won Gold with 18.06m, with Uttar Pradesh’s Akhand Partap Singh (18.06m) and Punjab’s Harpartap Singh (18.04m).