Tumkur, April 24: The 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition opened with a spectacular display of speed and strength at Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Tumkur, Karnataka, as Abhay Singh and Nipam stormed to gold medals on Day One (Friday, April 24), establishing themselves as the fastest male and female athletes of the competition while shattering multiple records.

Abhay Singh Blazes Past Asian Junior Qualification Standard

Abhay Singh, competing under the banner of Reliance Foundation, delivered a stunning performance in the men's 100m dash, clocking a blistering 10.41 seconds to claim gold. The time was not only a new meet record — surpassing the previous mark of 10.47 seconds set by Gurindervir Singh in 2018 — but also comfortably bettered the Asian Junior qualification standard of 10.46 seconds.

This achievement places Abhay Singh firmly in contention for international representation and signals a new generation of Indian sprinting talent rising through structured corporate-backed athletics programmes. Yuvraj Singh Chib of Jammu & Kashmir and Anshu Rajak of Uttar Pradesh both clocked 10.52 seconds to finish second and third respectively.

Nipam Rewrites National Junior Record in Women's 100m

Nipam of Uttar Pradesh produced an equally electrifying performance in the women's 100m, winning gold with a time of 11.53 seconds — a new National Junior Record, bettering the previous mark of 11.54 seconds set by Abhinaya Rajarajan in Kochi last year. She also erased the meet record of 11.63 seconds held by legendary sprinter Dutee Chand since 2014.

Notably, Nipam had already clocked 11.60 seconds in the semi-finals and has now comfortably cleared the Asian Junior qualification standard of 11.79 seconds in the women's 100m. Her performances make her a strong candidate for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA. Bhavana G of Tamil Nadu (11.87 secs) and Kajal Hirabhai Vaja of Gujarat (11.88 secs) completed the podium.

Amanat Kamboj and Women's Field Events Shine Bright

Punjab's Amanat Kamboj emerged as another star of the day in the women's discus throw, hurling the disc to a distance of 52.27 metres — well beyond the Asian U20 qualification mark of 50.13 metres — to claim gold. Riddhi of Haryana (48.92m) and Supriya Attri of NCOE Patiala (48.07m) took silver and bronze respectively.

B Sowndharya of Tamil Nadu equalled the Asian Junior qualification mark of 3.60 metres in the women's pole vault to claim gold, with Chuki Birda (Rajasthan) and Shruti Rathaur (Madhya Pradesh) both clearing 3.40 metres for the minor medals.

Distance Runners Deliver Asian Qualification Standards

In the morning session, Muskan of Haryana dominated the women's 5,000m, winning gold in 16:42.88 seconds — bettering the Asian Junior qualification time of 16:52.54 seconds. Sonam Parmar of IOCL won silver in 16:47.89 seconds, also clearing the Asian qualification standard, while Sakshi Bhandari of Maharashtra took bronze in 17:04.93 seconds.

In the men's 5,000m, Dinesh of Uttar Pradesh won gold in 14:36.50 seconds, followed by Ravi Yadav of Chandigarh (14:37.25 secs) and Gurpreet Kamboj of Punjab (14:37.29 secs). Kerala's Mohammed Ashfaq caught the eye in the men's 400m heats, clocking 47.39 seconds — faster than the Asian Junior qualification time of 47.53 seconds — setting up an exciting final.

Significance for Indian Athletics and World U20 Prospects

The opening day of the 24th National Junior U20 Athletics Federation Competition underscores India's deepening talent pool in track and field, with multiple athletes achieving Asian Junior qualification standards across disciplines in a single day. The involvement of corporate entities like Reliance Foundation in nurturing young sprinters like Abhay Singh reflects a structural shift in how elite Indian athletics is being developed beyond government academies.

With the World Athletics U20 Championships on the horizon in Eugene, USA, performances at this competition will be critical in determining India's international squad composition. Day Two is expected to produce more record-breaking performances as field and track finals continue at Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Tumkur.