Bhubaneswar, October 11(HS): Rising javelin thrower and Asian U-18 champion Himanshu Jakhar delivered a sensational performance at the National Junior Athletics Championships, shattering Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra’s 11-year-old meet record at the Kalinga Stadium on Friday. His record-breaking throw also secured him automatic qualification for the 2026 World U-20 Championships.

Jakhar, who clinched gold at the Asian Championships in Saudi Arabia earlier this year with a throw of 67.57 metres, stunned spectators with a massive 79.96-metre effort in the men’s U-18 qualification round. The mark not only surpassed the World U-20 qualification standard of 68.50 metres by a significant margin but also eclipsed Chopra’s 2014 record of 76.50 metres set in Vijayawada by over three metres.

In other events, Mohit Chaudhary set a new meet record in the men’s U-20 5000m race, clocking an impressive 14:09.71 minutes. Meanwhile, young talent Alice Vikal created waves in the U-16 girls’ shot put qualification with a 13.26-metre throw, surpassing Alka Singh’s national record of 13.10 metres.

The outstanding performances underscored the emergence of India’s next generation of athletes, raising fresh hopes for continued success on the international stage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar