How Pooja Singh Became India's New High Jump Queen?

Every great sporting story has a defining moment. For Pooja Singh, it was not just the day she cleared 1.93 metres in Hong Kong and rewrote the Indian record books. It was the culmination of years of quiet progress, relentless work, heartbreak, recovery and an unwavering belief that she belonged among the very best.

Today, the 19-year-old from Haryana stands as India's national record holder in women's high jump. But her story began long before the record-breaking leap. The first major indication that Indian athletics had discovered a special talent came in 2023.

At the Asian U-20 Championships in South Korea, Pooja won the silver medal and set a new Indian U-20 national record of 1.82m. It was a breakthrough performance, but outside athletics circles, very few knew her name.

Later that year, she earned a place at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Competing against some of Asia's finest jumpers and being one of the youngest athletes in the field, Pooja finished sixth with a best clearance of 1.80m.

She did not win a medal. She did not make headlines. But she gained something perhaps more valuable experience.

The teenager was learning what it took to compete on the biggest stages.

The progress continued in 2024. At the World U-20 Championships in Lima, Pooja once again improved the Indian U-20 record, clearing 1.83m to qualify for the final. Though she eventually finished ninth with a best jump of 1.80m, the competition reinforced her status as one of the most promising young high jumpers in Asia.

Back home, she raised the bar again.

At the National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, Pooja improved the U-20 national record to 1.85m. Records were becoming a habit. Yet even then, she remained largely under the radar. The wider sporting public had not yet witnessed what was coming.

If 2023 and 2024 were about promise, 2025 was about arrival.

Pooja started the year by equalling her personal best of 1.85m at the Indian Open Athletics Meet. Soon after, she captured the Federation Cup gold medal with a winning jump of 1.84m.

Then came the competition that changed everything. At the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, Pooja produced the performance of her life. Clearing a season-best 1.89m, she stunned the field and clinched the gold medal.

The victory carried immense significance. Before Pooja, only Bobby Aloysius had ever won a medal for India in women's high jump at the Asian Championships, claiming gold in 2000 and silver in 2002.

Twenty-three years later, India had another Asian champion. Pooja's 1.89m effort also improved her own U-20 national record and announced her arrival on the continental stage.

She was no longer a prospect. She was a champion.

Sport, however, rarely follows a straight path. Just when momentum seemed unstoppable, adversity struck. In June 2025, Pooja suffered a Grade-2 ligament tear. The injury ruled her out for the remainder of the season.

For an athlete riding the biggest success of her career, the timing could not have been worse.

The challenge was no longer about jumping higher. It was about returning at all. Champions are often defined not by victories, but by how they respond when everything is taken away.

Pooja's answer came in 2026. At the Khelo India University Games, she returned to competition and immediately won gold with a clearance of 1.77m.

The mark may have seemed modest compared to her personal best, but its significance was enormous.

She not only secured victory but also broke the meet record of 1.76m that had stood since 2022.

More importantly, she proved that the injury had not broken her spirit. The comeback had begun.

The next chapter arrived at the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin.

Competing in only her second event of the season and just her third competition since returning from injury, Pooja won the silver medal with a clearance of 1.87m.

The performance confirmed what many had hoped. She was not merely back.
She was getting better.

Soon after, at the Indian Athletics Series-3 in New Delhi, Pooja reached another milestone.

She cleared 1.90m for the first time in her career. While three attempts at the national record of 1.92m proved unsuccessful that day, the achievement itself was historic.

No Indian woman had crossed the 1.90m barrier since Sahana Kumari's national record performance in 2012.

A generation had passed. Pooja had finally bridged the gap.

For fourteen years, 1.92m represented the summit of Indian women's high jump.

It was the national record established by Sahana Kumari in 2012. For countless young athletes, including Pooja, it was the benchmark that seemed untouchable.

Then came May 29 in Hong Kong. At the Asian U-20 Athletics Championships, Pooja delivered the greatest performance of her young career.

She cleared 1.93m. The record fell. History was made.

Pooja won gold and became India's new women's high jump national record holder. What made the moment particularly special was that Sahana Kumari herself was present to witness it.

Rather than disappointment, there was admiration. Rather than regret, there was pride.

As Sahana later told myKhel "I had already said she would break my record. I always believed she was the girl who could do it, and she has definitely proved that."

Those words carried enormous weight.

The record holder who had inspired a generation was now celebrating the athlete who would inspire the next one.

The momentum continued. Following her historic performance, Pooja achieved the qualification standard for the World U-20 Championships.

The newly crowned Asian U-20 champion secured the women's high jump title with a clearance of 1.81m, ensuring her place among the world's best young athletes.

Her rapid rise also earned her selection in India's 32-member squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

At the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, she cleared 1.83m and achieved the qualification mark for the Asian Games.

Within a matter of months, Pooja had transformed from a promising youngster into one of India's biggest medal hopes.

Pooja's rise has not gone unnoticed internationally.

Matt Horsnell, coach of two-time Olympic medallist and reigning world champion Nicola Olyslagers, believes the young Indian is progressing in exactly the right direction.

Reflecting on her development and comeback from injury, Horsnell said "I think she's going really well and she had a little slight injury just at the end of last season. She's really bounced back and going well. I think that would really work for her and I really look forward to seeing her there at the Commonwealth Games."

Coming from one of the most respected coaches in world high jump, the assessment serves as further validation of Pooja's potential.

The story is far from finished. In many ways, it is only beginning. The Commonwealth Games. The World U-20 Championships. The Asian Games.

Three major championships now stand before the teenager who has already rewritten Indian athletics history. What makes Pooja Singh's journey remarkable is not merely the medals or records. It is the progression.

From a silver medallist in South Korea in 2023 to an Asian champion. From a teenager chasing national records to the athlete who now owns one. From injury and uncertainty to becoming the face of Indian women's high jump.

The bar has kept rising throughout her career. And every time it has, Pooja Singh has found a way to soar above it. The next chapter awaits. If her journey so far is any indication, Indian athletics may only be beginning to discover just how high she can fly.