India clinched seven golds, 11 silvers and 11 bronze medals to finish third at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024 held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates from April 24 to 27. A total of 60 Indian athletes - 31 men and 29 women - competed at the 21st edition of the continental meet.
The People's Republic of China topped the Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024 medal tally with 15 golds, 9 silvers and three bronze. Though India had a larger overall medal haul than both China and Japan, they won fewer gold medals and consequently finished third in the standings.
Deepanshu Sharma won India's first gold medal in Dubai in the men’s javelin throw with a distance of 70.29m. Anurag Singh Kaler (men’s shot put), Pavana Nagaraj (women’s long jump), Ekta Dey (women’s 3000m steeplechase) and Ranvir Singh (men’s 3,000m steeplechase) were successful in winning gold medals on the second day of the competition. Ekta Dey also went on to clinch the silver medal in the 5000m race.
Harshit Kumar, competing in the men's hammer throw, won the only gold for the Indians on the third day when he registered a distance of 66.7m. The 4x400m women's relay team of Anushka Dattatray Kumbhar, Kanista Teena Maria Deva Shekhar, Sai Sangeetha Dodla and Sandramol Sabu also topped the podium on the final day of the competition.
Laxita Sandilea, who won the gold medal at the Asian U20 championships last year in 1500m, settled for a silver medal in Dubai.
The Asian U20 Athletics Championships was also a qualifying event for the World U20 Athletics Championships which will be held in Lima, Peru from August 27 to 31. Aarti, competing in the women's 10,000m race walk, achieved the qualification standard for the U20 World Championships with her time of 47:45.33. The entry standard was 49:00.00.
In the Asian U20 Athletics Championships held in Yecheon last year, India won 19 medals - six golds, seven silvers and six bronze - to finish third in the table behind Japan and China.
Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024: India’s medal winners
Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024 medals tally
Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024: India squad
- Men: Abiram Pramod (400, 4x400m relay), Aman Choudhary (4x400m relay), Anurag Singh Kaler (shot put), Bapi Hansda (400m, 4x400m relay), Dev Kumar Meena (pole vault), Dipanshu Sharma (javelin throw), Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati (200m, 4x400m relay), Gaurav Bhaskar Bhosale (3,000m, 5,000m), Harshit Kumar (hammer throw), Himanshu (10,000m race walk), Hima Teja Vallipi (4x100m relay), Karthikeyan Soundararajan (4x100m relay), Kuldeep Kumar (pole vault), Mahendra Santa (4x100m relay), Mohd Atta Sazid (long jump), Navpreet Singh (4x400m relay), Nikhil Suhas Dhake (4x400m relay), Prateek (hammer throw), Priyanshu (1500m), Rahul Sarnaliya (1500m), Ranvir Ajay Singh (3,000m steeplechase), Ritik (discus throw), Rohan Ghosh (4x100m relay), Rohan Yadav (javelin throw), Sachin (10,000m race walk), Sahil Malik (4x400m relay), Shahnavaz Khan (long jump), Sharuk Khan (3,000m steeplechase), Siddharth Choudhary (shot put), Vikas Kumar Bind (3,000m), Vinod Singh (5,000m).
- Women: Aarti (10,000m race walk), Abinaya Rajarajan (4x100m relay), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Anushka Yadav (hammer throw), Anushka Dattatray Kumbhar (400m, 4x400m relay), SAI Sangeetha Dodla (400m, 4x400m relay), Ekta Dey (3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m), Jeyavindhiya Jegadish (400m hurdles, 4x400m relay), Kanista Teena Maria Deva Shekhar (4x400m relay), Laxita Vinod Sandilea (800m. 1,500m), Mishthi Kajla (4x400m relay), Nandini (hammer throw), Neole Anna Cornelio (4x100m relay), Nikita Kumari (discus throw), Pavana Nagaraj (long jump, heptathlon), Prachi Ankush Devkar (3,000m), Prathiksha Yamuna Ashok Kumar (long jump), Rishika Awasthi (triple jump), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Sabita Toppo (100m hurdles, 4x100m relay), Sakshi Champalal Chavan (4x100m relay), Sandramol Sabu (4x100m relay), Shilpaben Veljibhai Dihora (3,000m), Shreeya Rajesh (400m hurdles), Siya Abhijit Sawant (4x100m relay), Sunita Devi (5,000m), Tanvi Malik (800m), Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland (100m hurdles)