The Indian contingent continued its impressive display at the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships in Dubai on Wednesday, bagging a gold and silver medal in the men’s javelin throw. Deepanshu Sharma, representing Uttar Pradesh, soared to victory with a distance of 70.29m, while his state-mate Rohan Yadav secured the silver with a throw of 70.03m. In the men’s 1500m, Priyanshu came close to adding another gold to India’s tally but was narrowly defeated at the finish line by Qatar’s Aitoulghazi. Priyanshu’s silver-winning time was 3:50.85s.
India’s medal haul was further bolstered by Ritik, who clinched the silver in the men’s discus throw with an impressive throw of 52.23m. In the women’s category, Prachi Ankush Devkar finished fourth in the 3000m, while Laxita Vinod Sandliea and Tanvi Malik progressed to the final of the 800m after securing strong performances in the heats. Anushka Dattatray Kumbhar and Sai Sangeetha Dodla also advanced to the medal round in the women’s 400m. Male quartermiler Aman Choudhary joined his female counterparts in the final despite being initially listed only for the 4x400m relay.
However, there were some notable absentees from the Indian team. Bapi Hansda, the country’s fastest junior this year, and P. Abiram, who were expected to compete in the individual 400m, did not appear on the startlist. Sources indicate that Hansda’s absence was due to passport issues and efforts are underway to ensure his participation in the 4x400m relay. AFI president Adille Sumariwalla and chief junior national coach N. Ramesh were unavailable for comment on the Hansda issue.
