Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has hailed Indian athletes’ performance at the just concluded in Oregon, US, saying the athletes returned home with much needed international exposure and experience.
“Congratulations to the entire Indian contingent at the U-20 World Athletics Championships, who gave their best for the country and returned not just with medals, but so much of exposure and experience of competing with international athletes. Keep building on this momentum!,” Neeraj posted on X on Monday.
India won three medals, including two silver and a bronze medal, equaling their medal tally from the 2021 and 2022 editions of the World U20 Athletics Championships.
Ashish Yadav won a silver medal and became the first Indian javelin thrower since Neeraj Chopra in 2016 to win a javelin throw medal. Basant Kumar Meghwal also won a silver medal and first Indian high jumper win a medal at the marquee event.
Shahnavaz Khan completed India’s medal tally with bronze in the men’s long jump. He also became the first Indian long jumper to win a medal at the event.
India’s steady performance at the Championships
The Indian athletes’ latest performances also marked a steady rise in India’s fortunes at the World U20 Championships. Between 2002 and 2018, India won only four medals, including gold medals for Chopra in the men’s javelin throw in 2016 and Hima Das in the women’s 400m in 2018.
Seema Antil had claimed India’s first medal at the championships, winning silver in the women’s discus throw in Jamaica in 2002. Navjeet Kaur Dhillon followed with bronze in the same event in the USA in 2014.
Between 2021 and 2022 India won three medals. In 2021, Amit and Shaili Singh won silver in the men’s 10,000m race walk and women’s long jump respectively, while the mixed 4x400m relay team took bronze.
In 2022, Selva Prabhu Thirumaran and the mixed 4x400m relay team won the silver medals, while Rupal Chaudhary secured bronze in the women’s 400m.
India’s tally dipped to one medal in the 2024 edition, with Aarti winning bronze in the women’s 10,000m race walk. However, the latest performance in Oregon has come as a fresh ray of hope.