World Athletics U20 Championships 2024: Top 5 Medal Contenders For India in Lima

Add as a preferred source on Google

The World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 2024 is scheduled to begin on August 27 and conclude on August 31. India aims to leave a significant impression on the global stage with a contingent of 43 athletes, marking the eighth-largest team in the competition.

This is India's largest squad ever for the Junior World Championships, with Indian athletes set to compete in 30 out of 45 events. As a biennial event, it provides a vital stage for emerging track and field talents, we take a look at India's medal contenders.

Deepanshu Sharma - Javelin throw

The reigning Asian U-20 champion in javelin, Deepanshu, is ready to make his mark on the world stage. A few months ago, he won the gold medal at the Asian U-20 Championships with a throw of 70.29 meters. The Ghaziabad thrower's father was also a javelin thrower and a record holder in the U-22 category, while his sister, Sakshi Sharma, is also a javelin thrower. Clearly, javelin runs in his blood.

Rohan Yadav - Javelin throw

Rohan Yadav is one of the best young javelin throwers in India. Recently, Rohan clinched a silver medal at the Asian U-20 Championships with a throw of 70.02 meters. Interestingly, he is the brother of javelin thrower Rohit Yadav and is also connected with Michael Musselmann, a highly regarded javelin coach based in Peru, to receive online coaching from him.

Pavana Nagraj - Long jump

Pavana Nagraj is one of the best medal prospects for India at the World Athletics U-20 Championships. She is the daughter of women's high jump national record holder Sahana Kumari. Pavana will be competing in the women's long jump at the U-20 World Championships and also won gold in the Asian U-20 Championships with a jump of 6.32 meters.

Unnathi Aiyappa - Sprinter

Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland is set to compete in the 200m, 100m hurdles, and 4x100m relay at the World Athletics U-20 Championships. She previously participated in the 2022 U-20 World Championships. This year, Unnathi clinched a bronze in the 100m hurdles at the Asian U-20 Championships in April and secured gold in the 200m at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar by defeating home crowd favourite Srabani Nanda.

Her mother, G. Pramila, also competed in the heptathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is a bronze medalist from the Asian Games. Her father, Sri, is also her coach.

Laxita Sandilea - Mid-distance runner

Born in Haryana, Laxita completed her schooling in Gujarat. She did not take up athletics until late 2018, when she switched from being a state-level hockey player to pursuing an individual sport. She won two silver medals at the Asian U-20 Championships in the 800m and 1500m this year. Now, she will be looking to change the colour of her medals at the upcoming World Athletics U-20 Championships.