Indian athletics enjoyed a memorable day at the World Athletics U20 Championships as Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan secured medals in their respective field events.
Basant Kumar Meghwal produced a personal best performance of 2.21 metres to win the silver medal in the men’s high jump. The achievement makes the 19 year old athlete the first Indian high jumper to win a medal at the World U20 Championships.
The athlete from Anupgarh in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district delivered his best jump on the international stage, improving on his previous performances and securing India’s second medal of the championships.
Meghwal’s success comes after an impressive season. He had already established himself as one of India’s promising young high jumpers and continued that progress on the biggest stage of his junior career.
Shahnavaz Khan also added another medal for India by securing bronze in the men’s long jump. His performance further strengthened India’s presence in the field events at the championships.
With Meghwal’s silver and Shahnavaz’s bronze, India’s medal tally at the World U20 Championships rose to three. Earlier, Ashish Yadav had won silver in the men’s javelin throw.
The results underline the growing depth of Indian athletics at the junior level, with athletes making their presence felt across multiple field events.
For Meghwal, however, the silver carries special significance. His historic achievement marks the first World U20 Championships medal won by an Indian high jumper and could prove to be an important milestone in his developing international career.