The National Junior Athletics Championships at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar delivered a mix of stellar performances and close calls. Rajasthan’s promising young athletes, Basant in high jump and Narpat Singh in hammer throw, both clinched coveted gold medals in their respective men’s under-20 categories. However, their victories were accompanied by a tinge of disappointment as both narrowly missed the stringent qualification standards required for the prestigious Under-20 World Championships.
Basant achieved an impressive leap of 2.11m, just 1cm shy of the 2.12m qualification mark. Similarly, Narpat Singh demonstrated remarkable power with a hammer throw of 67.45m, falling short by a mere 55cm. These performances underscore the intense competition at the junior level and the fine margins that separate national champions from international contenders.
Adding a significant highlight to the championships, Kerala’s sensation Abiya Ann Gigi etched her name in the record books. She set a new national record in the girls’ under-16 high jump with an exceptional clearance of 1.56m. This feat surpassed the previous record of 1.52m set by Y. Potanapalli in 2024. Close behind, Dhanya S. of Tamil Nadu also excelled, bettering the old national record with a jump of 1.53m, securing a well-deserved second place.
A summary of the gold medalists from the finals is provided below:
Under-20 Category
- Men’s 5000m Race Walk: Amit Kumar (Chhattisgarh) – 19:47.76
- Men’s High Jump: Basant (Rajasthan) – 2.11m
- Men’s Hammer Throw: Narpat Singh (Rajasthan) – 67.45m
- Women’s 3000m: Sonam Parmar (Madhya Pradesh) – 10:01.46
- Women’s 5000m Race Walk: Manisha (Rajasthan) – 23:43.58
- Women’s Triple Jump: Paveena Rajesh (Tamil Nadu) – 12.42m
- Women’s Hammer Throw: Gunjan Singh (Uttar Pradesh) – 47.78m
Under-18 Category
- Men’s Long Jump: Shivam Yadav (Uttar Pradesh) – 7.34m
- Men’s Shot Put: Nischay (Haryana) – 19.48m
Under-16 Category
- Boys’ High Jump: Sakthivel V.N. (Tamil Nadu) – 1.81m
- Girls’ High Jump: Abiya Ann Gigi (Kerala) – 1.56m (New National Record)
Under-14 Category
- Girls’ Javelin: Aaradhya Singh (Haryana) – 38.64m