Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan have made history for India at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA, by securing the country’s first medals in high jump and long jump, respectively. Meghwal earned a silver medal in the men’s high jump, while Khan claimed a bronze in the men’s long jump.
Meghwal, a 19-year-old from Rajasthan, achieved a personal best of 2.21m in the high jump event. This performance secured him the silver medal, making him the first Indian athlete to win a world high jump medal. The gold in the event went to Younes Ayachi of Algeria, who also cleared 2.21m on his first attempt. Otis Poole of Great Britain took the bronze, clearing the same height on his third attempt. The final standings were determined by countback rules based on missed attempts, as all three medallists cleared 2.21m but failed to clear 2.24m.
Meghwal’s journey into athletics began in his village in Anupgarh tehsil of Sriganganagar district. His physical training instructor, Iqbal Singh Maan, noticed his talent when Meghwal jumped over a fence to avoid being caught skipping school. This observation led to Maan training him for high jump. Meghwal’s father, Gangaram Meghwal, mentioned the financial challenges faced by the family to support Basant’s training, diet, and equipment, including the cost of high jump shoes.
Meghwal, who is currently employed with the Indian Navy, has shown significant improvement this season, increasing his personal best by 10cm from 2.11m to 2.21m. He is also the reigning Asian U20 champion, having won gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships earlier this year. He previously won gold in the National Junior Fed Cup.
Khan secures long jump bronze
In the men’s long jump, 18-year-old Shahnavaz Khan secured a bronze medal with a best effort of 7.84m. His series of jumps included 7.67m, 7.72m, 7.84m, 7.52m, 7.83m, and 5.37m. Daniele Inzoli of Italy won the gold with a jump of 7.97m, while Mason McGroder of Australia claimed silver with a personal best of 7.96m. Another Indian athlete, Jithin Arjunan, finished eighth in the final with a best jump of 7.59m.
Khan, from Madhaipur village in Uttar Pradesh, is considered a promising long jumper. He holds the current national U20 record of 8.30m and is also the reigning Asian U20 champion, having won gold at the Asian U20 Championships in May with a jump of 7.84m. His personal best of 8.30m ranks as the all-time third among Indian seniors, behind Jeswin Aldrin (8.42m) and Murali Sreeshankar (8.41m). He has also met the qualification mark for the 2026 Asian Games set by the Athletics Federation of India.
The World Athletics U20 Championships saw India’s medal tally rise to three, matching the total from the 2021 and 2022 editions. The country’s medal campaign began with Ashish Yadav winning silver in the men’s javelin throw on Friday.
Mixed results in relay and other events
On the track, the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team, comprising Bhoomika Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Tanu Chaudhary, and Thiya Arumugam, qualified for the final round. They finished third in their heat race with a time of 3:39.53s. However, the Indian women’s 4x100m relay team and the men’s 4x400m relay quartet did not advance to the final round.
The women’s 4x100m relay team, consisting of Rujula Amol Bhonsle, G Bhavana, Aarti, and Ananya Suresh, finished sixth in their heat with a time of 45.91 seconds. The men’s 4x400m team, made up of Sayed Sabeer, Ranjith Kumar, Piyush Raj, and Mohammed Ashfaq, placed fifth in their heat race, clocking 3:08.56s. In both these events, only the top three teams from each heat progressed to the final.
In other events, national U20 record holder Nischay Phogat did not reach the final round of the men’s discus throw, finishing 16th overall in the qualification round with a best throw of 59.46m. In the men’s 5000m race walk final, Nitin Gupta finished sixth with a time of 19:32.30s.
India’s medal count at the World Athletics U20 Championships from 2002 to 2028 now totals four, including gold medals from Neeraj Chopra in men’s javelin throw and Hima Das in women’s 400m race.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
