Pooja clears 1.81m to win Indian Athletics Series high jump in Trivandrum
Synopsis
Nineteen-year-old Pooja of Haryana is doing something rare in Indian athletics — building momentum across age groups at the same time. Days after a 1.93m national record at the Asian U20 Championships in Hong Kong, she cleared 1.81m in Trivandrum with room to spare, leaving the rest of the domestic field well behind. A name to track.
Key Takeaways
Pooja (Haryana, age 19) won the women's high jump at the Indian Athletics Series, Trivandrum on 14 June with a clearance of 1.81m .
She recently set a national record of 1.93m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong .
David P (NCOE Bengaluru) won the men's long jump with 8.22m , edging Shahnavaz Khan (Uttar Pradesh) by just 5cm .
Rashdeep Kaur (JSW) clocked 53.32 seconds to win the women's 400m .
Tamil Nadu athletes dominated the men's and U20 sprints, sweeping the 100m podium in the senior men's category.
Pooja of Haryana delivered a commanding performance in the women's high jump at the Trivandrum leg of the Indian Athletics Series on 14 June, clearing 1.81m to finish well clear of the field. The 19-year-old is in fine form after recently setting a national record of 1.93m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong.
Pooja's Dominance in High Jump
Giji George of Tamil Nadu took second place with 1.64m, while Saliha KH of Railway Sports rounded out the podium at 1.60m. The margin between Pooja and the rest of the field underlines the significant gap between her and her domestic rivals at this stage of the season.
Men's Long Jump: David P Edges Out Shahnavaz Khan
The senior men's long jump produced the day's closest contest. David P of NCOE Bengaluru edged out Shahnavaz Khan of Uttar Pradesh with a winning leap of 8.22m against Khan's best of 8.17m. Jithin Arjunan of JSW took third place at 8.12m. The top three were separated by just 10 centimetres, making it the most competitive event of the meet.
Key Track Results
In the women's 400m, Rashdeep Kaur of JSW clocked 53.32 seconds to claim the top spot, with Kumar Saloni Nagar (NCOE Trivandrum) second at 53.64 seconds and Devyaniba of Gujarat third at 53.89 seconds. On the men's side, Manu TS of NCOE Trivandrum won the 400m in 46.24 seconds.
In men's 100m, Gitson I of Tamil Nadu led a Tamil Nadu sweep, clocking 10.51 seconds. Women's 100m hurdles went to Nandhini K of Tamil Nadu in 13.42 seconds. The men's high jump was won by Basant of NCOE Bengaluru with 2.19m.
U20 Highlights
In the U20 men's triple jump, Daksh Bishnoi of Punjab won with 15.46m. The U20 men's 100m was taken by Neil Samraj R of Tamil Nadu in 10.59 seconds. In the U20 women's long jump, Komal of Haryana edged out Magheli B of JSW with 5.62m against 5.61m.
Full Results
Men — 100m: Gitson I (Tamil Nadu) 10.51 secs; Sam Vasanth S (Tamil Nadu) 10.60 secs; Shandosh P (Tamil Nadu) 10.70 secs. 400m: Manu TS (NCOE Trivandrum) 46.24 secs; Theerthesh P Shetty (Karnataka) 46.59 secs; Santhosh K (Tamil Nadu) 46.73 secs. Long jump: David P (NCOE Bengaluru) 8.22m; Shahnavaz Khan (Uttar Pradesh) 8.17m; Jithin Arjunan (JSW) 8.12m. High jump: Basant (NCOE Bengaluru) 2.19m; Jesse Sandesh (Karnataka) 2.13m; Aromal T (Kerala) 2.10m.
Women — 100m: Giridharani R (Tamil Nadu) 11.61 secs; Prakruthi R (Karnataka) 11.65 secs; Suba Dharsini (Tamil Nadu) 11.70 secs. 200m: Harita Bhadra (Reliance) 23.58 secs; Prakruthi Roopa (Karnataka) 23.75 secs; Subha Venkatesan (Tamil Nadu) 24.29 secs. 400m: Rashdeep Kaur (JSW) 53.32 secs; Kumar Saloni Nagar (NCOE Trivandrum) 53.64 secs; Devyaniba (Gujarat) 53.89 secs. 100m hurdles: Nandhini K (Tamil Nadu) 13.42 secs; Anjali C (JSW) 13.85 secs; Shiny Gladssia (Tamil Nadu) 14.18 secs. Long jump: Bhavani Yadav (NCOE Bengaluru) 6.61m; Mubassina Mohammed (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.39m; Kusuma Ravada (Anju Bobby George Academy) 6.39m. Triple jump: Aleena T Saji (Kerala) 12.87m; Pavithra G (Railway Sports) 12.84m; Janice Tressa R (Kerala) 12.71m. High jump: Pooja (Haryana) 1.81m; Giji George (Tamil Nadu) 1.64m; Saliha KH (Railway Sports) 1.60m.
U20 Men — 100m: Neil Samraj R (Tamil Nadu) 10.59 secs; Rudra Shinde (Maharashtra) 10.61 secs; A Abubakar (Karnataka) 10.62 secs. 400m: Ranjith Kumar S (Tamil Nadu) 47.26 secs; Abhay Kumar Dubey (Uttar Pradesh) 47.41 secs; Lodence Ramu (Telangana) 47.57 secs. 110m hurdles: Sandeep Vinod Kumar (Reliance) 13.63 secs; Fasalul Haque (Reliance) 13.76 secs; Kiran K (Kerala) 13.80 secs. Triple jump: Daksh Bishnoi (Punjab) 15.46m; Dhanush Raj M (Kerala) 15.13m; Royshan P (Tamil Nadu) 15.12m. Long jump: Rajeev Roy (West Bengal) 7.45m; Toshik Kature (Chhattisgarh) 7.18m; Sri Ram R (Kerala) 6.87m.
U20 Women — 100m: Nipam (Uttar Pradesh) 11.75 secs; Ananya Suresh (NCOE Trivandrum) 11.85 secs; Rujula Amol (Maharashtra) 11.86 secs. Long jump: Komal (Haryana) 5.62m; Magheli B (JSW) 5.61m; Jasmine (Kerala) 5.47m.
The series continues, with Pooja's trajectory making her one of the most closely watched Indian athletes heading into the next major international cycle.
Point of View
And the Trivandrum margin confirms that gap is widening. Indian athletics has struggled to convert junior promise into senior consistency, but the compressed timeline between her U20 record and this senior series win suggests she is not waiting for that transition. The men's long jump, where three athletes cleared beyond 8.12m, is a quieter but equally significant signal — depth at that distance has historically been India's weakness in field events.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pooja, the Indian high jumper?
Pooja is a 19-year-old high jumper from Haryana who recently set a national record of 1.93m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong. She won the women's high jump at the Trivandrum leg of the Indian Athletics Series on 14 June with a clearance of 1.81m.
What was Pooja's winning height at the Indian Athletics Series in Trivandrum?
Pooja cleared 1.81m to win the women's high jump at the Trivandrum leg of the Indian Athletics Series on 14 June. Giji George (Tamil Nadu) finished second at 1.64m and Saliha KH (Railway Sports) was third at 1.60m.
What is Pooja's national record in high jump?
Pooja set a national record of 1.93m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships held in Hong Kong. The record establishes her as the leading Indian high jumper in the under-20 category.
Who won the men's long jump at the Trivandrum Athletics Series?
David P of NCOE Bengaluru won the men's long jump with a distance of 8.22m, narrowly ahead of Shahnavaz Khan of Uttar Pradesh (8.17m). Jithin Arjunan of JSW was third with 8.12m.
Which athletes won the 400m events at the Trivandrum leg of the Indian Athletics Series?
Rashdeep Kaur of JSW won the women's 400m in 53.32 seconds. In the men's event, Manu TS of NCOE Trivandrum took top honours with a time of 46.24 seconds.
