Future Stars Ready To Make Their Mark At National Junior Athletics Championships

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The upcoming National Junior Athletics Championships, set to take place in Bhubaneswar from December 7th to 11th, 2024, promises to be a thrilling showcase of India's next generation of track and field stars.

Here are some of the upcoming superstars who will be participating in this competition.

DIPANSHU SHARMA ( MEN'S JAVELIN THROW) - Dipanshu Sharma, a young and talented athlete, has had a remarkable year in 2024. He won the gold medal at the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships with a best throw of 70.29m. He also clinched gold at the U-20 Federation Cup with a best throw of 68.89m. His personal best is 71.21m, achieved at the U-20 India Open Throws Competition in 2024. Additionally, he participated in the World U-20 Athletics Championships, where he finished 11th with a best throw of 66.26m. His most recent competition was the South Asian U-20 Athletics Championships.

BAPI HANSDA (400M) - He was the first Indian to win silver in the men's 400m hurdles at the 2023 Asian Youth Athletics Championships.

Now, he is set to compete at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.

After getting injured, missing the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships due to passport issues, and then contracting dengue, which affected his performance at the World U-20 Athletics Championships, Bapi is now ready to make his mark in the 400m event.

DEEPIKA (JAVELIN THROW) - At just 19, Deepika is a rising star with a lifetime best of 55.23m (Junior NR), achieved at the 63rd National Open Athletics, where she clinched bronze while competing against Asian champion Annu Rani. Hailing from Bangaon, Haryana, known as the "Mini-Finland of India," Deepika is mentored by Hanuman Singh, renowned for producing world-class javelin throwers. Can Deepika surpass her NR or cross the 60m mark?

KARTHIK RAJA (400M HURDLES) - He participated in only two competitions this season: the Indian Grand Prix 3 (IGP 3) and the World U-20 Athletics Championships. Karthik qualified for the World U-20 Championships by clocking 52.76 seconds at the Indian Grand Prix 3 competition in Bengaluru. He began his career as a football player and represented Tamil Nadu's U-14 team in the School Games before shifting his focus to athletics five years ago.

DEV MEENA (POLE VAULT) - The year 2024 has been remarkable for the Madhya Pradesh pole vaulter. He won the silver medal at the Taiwan Athletics Meet with an impressive leap of 5.10m. Dev also delivered a brilliant performance at the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships, earning a bronze medal by clearing 5.1m. In September, at the U-23 National Athletics Championships, he broke the meet record and improved his personal best by clearing 5.20m. He also participated in the World U-20 Championships but finished in 9th place in Qualification Group 2, clearing 4.95m.

SABITA TOPPO (100M HURDLES) - From Sundargarh, Odisha-a hub of hockey legends like Dilip Tirkey and Amit Rohidas-Sabita is now a rising star in athletics. She secured a silver medal at the South Asian U-20 Athletics Championships in Chennai in 2024, clocking a lifetime best of 13.96 seconds. She trains at the Odisha-Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre at Kalinga Stadium. The U-20 National Record of 13.34 seconds is held by Asian Games bronze medalist Nandini Agasara. Can Sabita close the gap?

SIDDHARTH CHAUDHARY (SHOT PUT) - For the past six years, Tajinderpal Singh Toor has been the only name that comes to mind in shot put at both national and Asian levels. However, a new challenger has emerged.

At the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship, young shot putter Sidharth Chaudhary shattered the meet record with a throw of 19.19 meters, surpassing the previous record of 18.53 meters to win the gold medal. This achievement is not Chaudhary's first impact on the international athletics scene. In June of last year, he secured gold at the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championship in Korea.

During the U-20 World Championships 2024, Chaudhary finished 16th in the qualification round-a result that left him disappointed but motivated.

DONDAPATI MRUTYAM JAYARAM (100M) - At present, Jayaram's Personal best is 10.51 seconds which he ran last year during the National Games in Bambolim and at the Federation Cup in Ranchi.

He also has a timing of 10.40 seconds, which helped him win bronze at the Federation Cup in Ranchi, but it's not legal because 'no wind information' was available.

Nevertheless, his timing still ranks among the top five in the country for the U20 age group, even though it falls far short of the world's best. He was also part of the 4x100m relay teams that won bronze in the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships in both 2023 and 2024. He also competes in the 200m.

JAY KUMAR (400M) - Jay Kumar made headlines when he surpassed his personal best in the men's 400m semi-final, clocking 46.96 seconds and securing his spot in the final at this year's World U-20 Athletics Championships. In addition to this achievement, Jay excelled at the South Asian U-20 Athletics Championships, where he won the gold medal with a time of 46.86 seconds, this is also his personal best.

ROHAN YADAV (Javelin Throw) - Rohan Yadav won the silver medal at the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships with a personal best throw of 70.03m. He didn't have to look beyond his family for inspiration when he took up the sport during the challenging lockdown period in 2020. His elder brother, Rohit Yadav, is a prominent figure in the javelin fraternity, having reached the final of the World Athletics Championships in 2022.

Rohan also clinched the gold medal at the South Asian U-20 Athletics Championships with a best throw of 69.22m. Additionally, he finished in 10th position in Qualification Group 2 at the World U-20 Athletics Championships with a best throw of 67.07m.