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Ashish Yadav won silver in men’s javelin at World Athletics U20 Championships, opening India’s medal account. Pooja Singh qualified for women’s high jump final.
Ashish Yadav’s throw of 74.09m fetched him the silver. (Picture Credit: X/afiindia)
Ashish Yadav won India’s first medal at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene (USA) claiming silver in the men’s javelin throw. Yadav produced his best effort of 74.09m in the third round to claim silver.
Fellow Indian T Dharanidharan finished sixth with a throw of 72.35m.
The 19-year-old’s silver-winning mark was 40cm below his personal best of 74.49m, achieved at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala in March.
Yadav thus became only the second Indian after two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra to win a medal at the event. Chopra won gold at the 2016 edition in Poland and set the still-standing world junior record of 86.48m.
South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans took the javelin gold after throwing 80.50m in his sixth and final attempt, a mark that also became the season’s U20 world lead. Dominica’s Addison James won bronze with 73.89m.
On the other hand, national senior record holder Pooja Singh advanced to the women’s high jump final.
In the men’s 400m final, Mohommed Ashfaq finished eighth in 46.20 seconds. He had set the U20 national record a day earlier in the first-round heats with a time of 45.81 seconds.
American Jayden Deleon won the 400m gold in a championships record of 44.47 seconds. His compatriot Quincy Wilson took silver in 44.62 seconds, while South Africa’s Leendert Koekemoer secured bronze in 44.96 seconds.
Pooja also booked her place in the women’s high jump final after clearing 1.79m on the third day of competition. All 14 athletes who cleared 1.79m across the two qualification groups advanced to the final.
The 19-year-old Pooja holds the national senior record at 1.93m.
India will also have two finalists in the men’s long jump, with Shahnavaz Khan and Jithin Arjuna both progressing from the qualification round.
Shahnavaz finished fourth in Group A and fifth overall after recording 7.73m with his third and final attempt. Jithin secured the final qualification spot, finishing 12th overall with a 7.57m effort in his third and final attempt.
Italy’s Daniele Inzoli was the only athlete across the two qualification groups to clear the automatic qualification mark of 8m, registering 8.15m.
Poonam, meanwhile, missed out on the women’s javelin final. She placed eighth in her qualification group and 13th overall, with her best throw measuring 48.81m.
With PTI Inputs
About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
August 08, 2026, 11:48 IST
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