National Open Athletics 2025: Teenager Nitin Gupta Wins 20km Race Walk Gold; Gill Beats Toor To Clinch Shot Put Gold

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Ranchi, Sep 29: The penultimate day of the 64th National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi witnessed the emergence of a new star as Indian Army's teenage race walker Nitin Gupta stormed to gold in the men's 20km race walk, outclassing more experienced rivals on his senior national debut.

Just shy of his 18th birthday, Gupta showed composure beyond his years to clock 1:24:22.98, beating Paramjeet Singh Bisht (Uttarakhand) and Amanjot Singh (SSCB) to claim the top spot.

"I was enrolled in the Army via the sports quota in August. The gold here in Ranchi has cemented my place in the elite category," the youngster said after his victory.

Gill Edges Toor in Shot Put Battle

The afternoon session saw a clash of heavyweights in the men's shot put final, where 20-year-old Samardeep Gill of Madhya Pradesh overcame nerves to produce a winning throw of 19.79m in his final attempt.

Gill's triumph came against two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who settled for silver with a best of 19.32m. "I've been consistently hitting 20m in training. Now the goal is to replicate those throws in competition," Gill said.

Toor admitted he was not at his best on the day: "I wasn't feeling good enough to push hard today. I'll take a break and begin preparations for 2026."

Other Day Three Highlights

Men's Long Jump: Mohd Sazid (Haryana) clinched gold with 7.78m, narrowly ahead of Odisha's Sarun Payasingh (7.77m).

Men's High Jump: Rohit (Railway Sports) and Aadarsh Ram (Railway Sports) both cleared 2.18m, with Rohit taking gold on countback.

Men's Hammer Throw: Punjab's Damneet Singh led the field with 68.71m.

Women's Javelin Throw: Railway Sports' Deepika topped the podium with 54.86m.

Women's Pole Vault: Baranica Elangovan (Railway Sports) soared to 4.10m for gold.

20km Women's Race Walk: Munita Prajapati (Railway Sports) dominated with a winning time of 1:36:14.34.

Relays: Railway Sports ruled both men's (39.44s) and women's (45.09s) 4x100m relays.

From Nitin Gupta's breakthrough debut to Gill's gritty shot put win, day three in Ranchi underlined the depth of India's next generation of athletes. With veterans like Toor recalibrating for the next cycle and young talents making bold statements, the National Open Athletics Championships once again delivered a mix of resilience, rivalry, and rising stars.