New Delhi, 10 August (H.S.):

Former world champion and Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra on Monday congratulated Indian athletes Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnawaz Khan for their historic medal-winning performances at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships.

Basant won the silver medal in the men’s high jump, while Shahnawaz secured bronze in the men’s long jump, marking landmark achievements for Indian athletics at the junior world championships.

Chopra congratulated the two athletes through a post on his X account, describing their performances as the beginning of what could be a highly successful careers.

“Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnawaz Khan — this is the first of many achievements to come. They won silver and bronze medals in the men’s high jump and long jump respectively at the U20 World Championships. Congratulations to them and the entire team working behind the scenes with such exceptional talent,” Chopra said.

Basant creates history

Nineteen-year-old Basant Kumar Meghwal became the first Indian athlete to win a men’s high jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships. He cleared 2.21 metres to claim silver, matching his personal best.

Basant had previously cleared 2.21 metres at the Junior Federation Cup in Bengaluru in April. He subsequently won gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong in May with a jump of 2.20 metres.

In Eugene, Basant cleared 2.06 metres on his first attempt. He needed two attempts to clear 2.12 metres before successfully clearing 2.17 metres at the first attempt. He then cleared 2.21 metres on his second attempt to equal his personal best.

However, he was unable to clear 2.24 metres in any of his three attempts. With three athletes clearing 2.21 metres, Basant was awarded the silver medal on countback.

Shahnawaz becomes first Indian male long jump medallist

Shahnawaz Khan also created history by winning bronze in the men’s long jump with a best effort of 7.84 metres. He became the first Indian male athlete to win a long jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships.

Earlier, Shaili Singh had won a silver medal in the women’s long jump at the 2021 edition.

The Asian U20 champion began his competition with a 7.67-metre jump. He improved to 7.72 metres in his second attempt before producing his medal-winning effort of 7.84 metres in the third round. His subsequent attempts measured 7.52 metres, 7.83 metres and 5.37 metres.

Shahnawaz’s personal best stands at 8.30 metres, which he recorded at the Indian Championships in June.

India secures three medals

With the medals won by Basant and Shahnawaz, India has now secured three medals at the Eugene championships. Earlier on Friday, Ashish Yadav won silver in the men’s javelin throw.

India’s three-medal tally equals its best-ever performance at the World Athletics U20 Championships. The country had also won three medals, comprising two silver and one bronze, at the 2021 and 2022 editions.

India has won two gold medals in the history of the World Athletics U20 Championships. Neeraj Chopra won gold in the men’s javelin throw in 2016, while Hima Das claimed the women’s 400m title in 2018. In both editions, India’s gold medal was the country’s only medal at the championships.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar