Madhya Pradesh’s Ekta Pradeep Dey shattered the women’s national U-20 record in the 3,000m steeplechase, clocking an impressive 10:10.08secs at the 22nd National Junior U-20 Federation Athletics Championships. This remarkable feat surpassed the previous record of 10:29.50 secs and met the Asian U-20 qualification time of 11:30.00.
Odisha’s Dondapati Mrutyumjaya also made headlines, winning the 200m in a blistering 21.59 secs. This time not only secured him the title but also surpassed the Asian U20 qualification time of 21.60secs. Mrutyumjaya had previously won the 100m on Saturday, clocking 10.67 secs, narrowly missing the qualification mark by 0.17secs.
Uttar Pradesh’s javelin throwers dominated the competition, with Dipanshu Sharma claiming the title with a throw of 68.89m. Rohan Yadav secured silver with a throw of 68.29m, while Uttarakhand’s Ajeet Kumar Yadav took bronze with 66.94m. All three throwers surpassed the qualification mark of 65.49m.
Gujarat’s Laxita Vinod Sandilea completed a double, adding the 800m title to her 1500m victory on Sunday.
Junior national chief coach Nagapuri Ramesh expressed confidence in India’s performance at the upcoming Junior Asian Athletics Championships in Dubai and the junior worlds in Lima, Peru. He attributed the recent success of Indian athletes to the inspiration provided by Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic and World Championships gold medals in javelin.
