India’s medal tally at the World U-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, got off to a strong start on Friday thanks to the performance of 17-year-old athlete Aarti. She secured a bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m race walk, setting a new national record with a time of 44 minutes 39.39 seconds. The gold and silver medals in the challenging event were claimed by Chinese race walkers Zhuoma Baima (43:26.60) and Meiling Chen (44:30.67), respectively.
In another notable performance, 17-year-old Pooja Singh, from Fatehbad district, Haryana, broke the national U20 women’s high jump record during the qualification round on Thursday night. Pooja, the daughter of a mason, cleared a height of 1.83m, surpassing her own previous record of 1.82m set last year in Korea, where she won a silver medal at the Asian U-20 Championships. Her impressive jump earned her a second-place finish in qualification round group B and a ninth-place finish overall, securing her spot in the final scheduled for Saturday.
Aarti’s bronze medal and Pooja’s record-breaking performance are promising signs for Indian athletics at the youth level. They demonstrate the talent and dedication of young Indian athletes who are making their mark on the global stage.
