New Delhi: Ashish Yadav delivered a landmark performance for India at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA, winning the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw.
The 19 year old produced his best effort of 74.09 metres in his third attempt to secure second place. His medal winning throw was just 40 centimetres short of his personal best of 74.49 metres, recorded at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala earlier this year.
Yadav’s achievement places him in elite company. He is now only the second Indian athlete after Neeraj Chopra to win a medal in javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships. Chopra won gold at the 2016 edition in Poland and established the world junior record of 86.48 metres, which remains unbeaten.
South Africa’s Jan Hendrik Heymans claimed the gold medal with an 80.50 metre throw on his final attempt, which also became the leading U20 mark in the world this season. Dominica’s Addison James completed the podium with a best effort of 73.89 metres.
India’s T Dharanidharan also produced a strong performance, finishing sixth with a throw of 72.35 metres.
India also made progress in several other events. National senior record holder Pooja Singh qualified for the women’s high jump final after clearing 1.79 metres. All 14 athletes who reached that height across the qualification groups advanced to the medal round. Singh holds the national senior record at 1.93 metres.
In the men’s 400 metres, Mohommed Ashfaq finished eighth in the final with a timing of 46.20 seconds. He had earlier set a new U20 national record of 45.81 seconds during the heats.
India will also have two representatives in the men’s long jump final. Shahnavaz Khan qualified with a 7.73 metre effort, while Jithin Arjuna secured the final qualification position with 7.57 metres.
Meanwhile, Poonam narrowly missed qualification for the women’s javelin final after finishing 13th overall with a best throw of 48.81 metres.
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