Tumkur, April 27 (NationPress): Sprinter Abhay Singh delivered a stunning performance at the 24th National Junior (U20) Athletics Federation Competition in Tumkur, Karnataka, clinching the 200m gold medal to pair with his earlier 100m title, completing a historic sprint double on the final day of the meet at Mahatma Gandhi Stadium on Sunday, April 27, 2025. His gold-winning time of 20.82 seconds shattered the previous national record of 21.02 seconds set by N. Srinivas in 2021, signalling the emergence of a new force in Indian sprinting.

Abhay Singh Breaks National Record in 200m Sprint

Representing Reliance, Abhay Singh dominated the 200m final, clocking 20.82 seconds — a time that simultaneously erased both the national record and the meet record, both previously held at 21.02 seconds in the name of N. Srinivas. His performance also comfortably beat the Asian Junior A qualification standard of 21.28 seconds, placing him firmly in contention for upcoming continental competitions.

Rushiraj Singh Gohil of Gujarat claimed silver with 21.25 seconds, while Rudra Shinde of Maharashtra took bronze with 21.26 seconds — both also clearing the Asian Junior qualification mark.

Record-Breaking Performances Across Field Events

Basant, competing for the Navy, produced an outstanding effort in the men's high jump, clearing 2.21 metres to set a new meet record, surpassing the previous best of 2.19 metres set by Ajay Kumar in 2015. His leap also exceeded the Asian Junior qualification mark of 2.11 metres with considerable margin.

In the men's 800m, Mogali Venkatram of Andhra Pradesh clocked 1:49.02 seconds, improving upon the meet record of 1:49.59 seconds set by Pradeep Senthil Kumar in 2022. Notably, his timing also bettered the existing national record of 1:46.92 seconds set by Beant Singh in 2017, though official ratification processes will determine the final record status.

In men's javelin throw, Rohan Yadav of NCOE Patiala led a dominant Indian showing with a throw of 73.37 metres, well above the Asian Junior qualification mark of 65.31 metres. Ashish Yadav of Uttar Pradesh (73.12m) and Rishabh Giri of Reliance (72.96m) completed the podium.

Women's Stars Rewrite the Record Books

Poonam, representing JSW, won gold in the women's javelin throw with a meet record distance of 51.64 metres, eclipsing the previous meet record of 51.10 metres set by Sumar Devi way back in 2004 — a mark that had stood for over two decades.

Sadhana Ravi of Tamil Nadu shone in the women's triple jump, registering a meet record of 12.97 metres to claim gold. She surpassed the previous meet record of 12.87 metres set by Gayathri Govindaraj in 2009 and cleared the Asian Junior qualification mark of 12.67 metres.

In the women's 200m, Bhoomika Nehate of Maharashtra clocked 24.21 seconds to win gold, finishing ahead of the Asian Junior qualification time of 24.34 seconds. The women's 3000m steeplechase saw Mani Yadav of Maharashtra record an impressive 11:10.59 seconds, well inside the qualification mark of 11:31.35 seconds.

Day 3 Full Results Summary

The final day of competition produced a cascade of qualification marks across both men's and women's events. In the men's 3000m steeplechase, Sumit Rathee of Haryana won gold in 9:28.04 seconds, beating the Asian Junior qualification mark of 9:36.78 seconds. Nishchay of Haryana topped the men's discus throw with 57.02 metres, while Royshan P of Tamil Nadu won the men's triple jump with 15.75 metres.

In women's events, Nagini of Karnataka won the 800m in 2:12.06 seconds, and Pooja of Haryana cleared 1.80 metres to win the women's high jump, exceeding the qualification mark of 1.74 metres. Jaskiran Kaur of Uttarakhand topped the heptathlon with 4,367 points.

Significance for Indian Junior Athletics

The sheer volume of national and meet records broken at this edition of the National Junior Athletics meet reflects a generational leap in India's youth athletics ecosystem. The performances come at a critical juncture, with Asian Junior Athletics Championships on the horizon, where India will look to translate domestic dominance into continental medals.

This comes amid sustained investment in grassroots athletics infrastructure by bodies like the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and corporate sponsors such as Reliance and JSW, whose athletes featured prominently among the medal winners. The depth of talent on display — particularly from states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh — suggests India's junior athletics pipeline is stronger than it has been in years.

With the Asian Junior Athletics Championships serving as the next major milestone, athletes like Abhay Singh, Sadhana Ravi, and Basant will now be closely watched as potential medal prospects for India on the continental stage.