The Indian quartet of Jay Kumar, Neeru Pathak, Rihan Chaudhary, and Sandramol Sabu finished a commendable fifth in the 4x400m mixed relay final at the World Athletics U-20 Championships on Tuesday. The team, having qualified third overall among 20 competing teams, crossed the finish line with a time of 3:22.92, a slight increase from their season-best time of 3:22.54s set in the heats.
Australia emerged victorious with a time of 3:19.27, securing gold. Poland and China claimed silver and bronze respectively.
In other events, Amanat Kamboj impressed by qualifying for the final of the women’s discus throw, achieving a distance of 49.98m. Ekta Dey finished 12th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event.
Pavana Nagaraj, however, was unable to qualify for the final in the women’s long jump, finishing 12th with a jump of 5.74m.
Dipanshu Sharma and Rohan Yadav fell short in their respective groups of the men’s javelin throw event, while Siddharth Choudhary and Anurag Singh Kaler missed out on spots in the men’s shot put (6kg) final.
Despite some disappointments, India’s performance at the U-20 World Athletics Championships showcases the talent and potential of young athletes. The mixed relay team’s strong showing, in particular, is a positive sign for the future of Indian athletics.
