India Set to Challenge the World's Best at World Athletics U20 Championships 2026
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced a 36-member squad for the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026, which will be held at the iconic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, from August 5 to 9.
The Indian contingent, comprising 23 men and 13 women, will compete across 18 track and field events at one of the most prestigious junior athletics competitions in the world. The championships have long served as a launching pad for future Olympic and World Championship stars, and India will once again look to showcase the country's growing depth of young athletic talent.
With a balanced squad featuring sprinters, jumpers, throwers, race walkers and relay teams, India heads into Eugene aiming to build on encouraging performances from recent editions while continuing its rise on the global athletics stage.
The Indian team includes several athletes who have already made their mark at the national level despite their young age.
Among the standout names is Pooja Singh, the senior national record holder in the women's high jump. Having already established herself among India's leading jumpers, Pooja will enter the championships with significant expectations and the experience of competing against senior athletes.
Another athlete to watch is Shahnavaz Khan, one of India's brightest young long jump prospects. His consistent performances over the past season have established him as one of the country's most promising field event athletes, and Eugene will offer him an opportunity to measure himself against the world's best juniors.
The squad also features athletes across a wide range of disciplines, highlighting India's improving strength beyond its traditionally successful throwing events.
The 36-member contingent reflects the growing breadth of Indian athletics, with representation across sprints, middle-distance races, hurdles, jumps, throws, race walking and relays.
Men's Squad
The men's team includes Mohammed Ashfaq and Piyush Raj in the 400m and Mixed 4x400m Relay, while Venkatram Reddy Mogali and Uwin Anand will compete in the 800m.
Amit Kumar has been selected for the 400m hurdles, while Basant and Ambriesh Karthikeyan will represent India in the high jump.
In the horizontal jumps, Shahnavaz Khan and Jithin Arjunan Raman will contest the long jump, while Royshan Chandrasekar and Dhanush Raj Manappatty will compete in the triple jump. India's throws contingent includes Nischay in the discus throw and Ashish Yadav alongside Dharanidharan Thiyagarajan in the javelin throw.
Nitin Gupta will compete in the 5000m race walk, while the relay squads feature Anshu Rajak, Aditya Tatya Pisal, Nived Krishna Jyothiprakash, Neil Samraj and Rudra Sachin Shinde in the men's 4x100m relay. Ranjith Kumar, Sabeer Sayed and Nakul Prabhu have been selected for the men's 4x400m relay.
Women's Squad
The women's squad is led by high jumper Pooja Singh and includes Tanu Chaudhary in the 400m hurdles.
Anshu will represent India in the shot put, while Amanat Kamboj competes in the discus throw and Poonam in the javelin throw.
India's race walk challenge will be led by Aarti, who returns after her impressive performances in recent international competitions.
The women's relay squads include Bhavana Ganesh Kumar, Kajal Hirabhai Vaja, Rujula Amol Bhonsle and Ananya Suresh in the 4x100m relay, while Tahura Khatun, Bhoomika Sanjay Nehate and Thiya Arumugam will form part of the 4x400m relay squad.
India enters the 2026 edition after producing encouraging performances at the previous two World Athletics U20 Championships.
At the 2022 Championships in Cali, Colombia, India won three medals. Rupal Chaudhary created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals at a single U20 World Championships, claiming silver in the Mixed 4x400m Relay and bronze in the women's 400m. Selva Prabhu Thirumaran added another silver medal in the men's triple jump with an outstanding leap of 16.15 metres.
Two years later, at Lima 2024, India secured one medal through Aarti, who claimed a historic bronze in the women's 10,000m race walk with a timing of 44:39.39.
Those performances mean India heads to Eugene having won four medals across the last two editions of the championships.
Few venues in world athletics carry the prestige of Hayward Field. Located in Eugene, Oregon, the stadium has hosted multiple World Championships and is widely regarded as one of the sport's most iconic arenas. Competing at such a venue provides invaluable experience for young athletes preparing for future senior international competitions.
For many members of the Indian squad, this will be their first opportunity to compete against the world's finest junior athletes on such a grand stage.
The championships also serve as an important benchmark in the transition from junior to senior athletics, offering athletes the chance to gain international exposure while testing themselves against the best in their age group.
India's continued investment in junior athletics has produced a steady pipeline of talent over the past decade.
The World Athletics U20 Championships have previously served as the stage where future stars announced themselves to the world, most notably when Neeraj Chopra won gold and set the U20 world record in the javelin throw in 2016.
The 2026 Indian squad will hope to follow a similar path. While medals remain the immediate objective, the larger goal is to prepare athletes capable of competing consistently at senior World Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.
With representation across 18 events and several athletes already demonstrating considerable promise, India heads to Eugene optimistic about another strong showing. The five-day championships will provide the country's next generation of track and field stars with an opportunity to test themselves against the world's best and continue India's upward trajectory in global athletics.
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