India’s young athletes have picked up where the country’s Commonwealth Games contingent left off, making an encouraging start at the World Athletics U20 Championships. Fresh from India’s 39-medal haul in Glasgow, the focus has now shifted to the next generation, with Mohd. Ashfaq and Basant producing standout performances on the opening day.
Ashfaq stole the headlines after smashing the Indian U20 national record in the men’s 400m, while Basant booked his place in the high jump final. Although there were disappointments in the field events and hurdles, India’s youngsters showed enough promise to suggest the campaign could gather momentum over the coming days.
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Ashfaq clocked a sensational 45.81 seconds to finish second in his heat behind American Jayden DeLeon (45.63s), improving his own Indian U20 record of 46.05s set earlier this season. The effort not only secured his place in the semifinals but also left him fourth overall among all qualifiers.
ASHFAQ BREAKS NATIONAL RECORD
The 400m runner produced one of the performances of the opening day.
Running with confidence throughout the race, Ashfaq stayed within touching distance of DeLeon before crossing the line in a lifetime best 45.81s. The timing underlined his rapid progress this season and firmly established him among the leading contenders heading into the semifinals.
Basant also ensured India remained in contention in the field events. The high jumper cleared 2.00m, 2.05m and 2.10m at the first attempt before going over 2.14m on his second effort to qualify for the final. With no athlete managing the automatic qualifying mark of 2.21m, Basant’s clearance was enough to finish 11th overall.
MIXED DAY FOR THE REST OF THE SQUAD
Not every event went India’s way.
P. Royshan and Dhanush Raj were unable to progress from the men’s triple jump qualification, finishing 25th and 34th respectively, while Tanu Chaudhary’s campaign in the women’s 400m hurdles also ended after she placed 28th overall in the heats.
Still, India’s opening day belonged to Ashfaq. With a national record already under his belt and Basant still in medal contention, the country’s youngsters have given themselves a platform to build on as the World U20 Championships move into the business end.
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