Lakshita Leads Women’s 400m Heats With 55.92s as Haryana Impresses at Youth Athletics Nationals

Haryana's Lakshita emerged as the athlete to beat in the women's 400m at the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana after producing the fastest time across all five heats.

Lakshita clocked 55.92 seconds, becoming the only athlete in the heats to dip below the 56-second barrier. The performance immediately put her at the top of the qualification standings and set up an intriguing battle in the women's 400m as the championship moves towards the decisive stages. Her 55.92 was narrowly ahead of Uttar Pradesh's Bhoomika Nehate, who recorded 56.09 seconds, while Tanu Chaudhary finished with 56.46 seconds.

Both Bhoomika and Tanu arrive at the youth championships with valuable international experience, having been part of India's women's 4x400m relay team that reached the final at the World U20 Championships.

The women's 400m heats provided a clear indication of the level Lakshita will need to maintain if she wants to convert her strong opening performance into a national youth title. Her 55.92 was the only sub-56-second performance across the five heats, giving her a clear position at the top of the standings.

The 400m is one of the most demanding sprint events on the athletics programme, requiring athletes to combine speed with the ability to manage their effort over an entire lap. Lakshita's performance therefore provides an encouraging platform heading into the semi-finals.

However, the presence of Bhoomika and Tanu means the Haryana sprinter cannot afford to relax.

Both athletes have already experienced the intensity of international competition at the U20 level, having represented India in the women's 4x400m relay and helped the team reach the World U20 final.

The women's 400m semi-finals are scheduled for 4:45pm IST, when Lakshita will look to build on her impressive heat performance.

The men's 400m also produced a notable performance, with 16-year-old Lodenge Ramu recording the fastest time across all four heats. Ramu clocked 48.19 seconds to lead the qualification standings.

The youngster already owns a lifetime best of 47.56 seconds, set earlier this season, meaning his heat performance was solid but still some distance away from his personal best.

Ebin KJ followed Ramu with 48.65 seconds, while Anuj Kumar recorded 48.67 seconds to occupy third place among the fastest times from the heats.

Ramu's age makes his performance particularly noteworthy. At 16, he is competing against athletes who are further along in their youth careers, but his existing 47.56 personal best demonstrates the level of speed he is capable of producing.

The challenge now will be to reproduce that level when the competition reaches its most important stages.

Haryana also enjoyed success in the field events, with Oshin claiming the women's discus throw title. The 17-year-old produced a best throw of 45.98 metres to take gold at the National Youth Athletics Championships. Uttar Pradesh's Dimpy Saini finished second with 43.22m, while Haryana's Mansi Dangi secured the bronze medal with a best effort of 43.09m.

Oshin's development has been guided by coach Virender Dabas at the Jio Institute. She has also previously trained under Asian Games medallist Seema Antil Punia, giving her exposure to an experienced figure from India's throwing programme. Her victory adds another medal to Haryana's strong showing in Ludhiana and highlights the depth of emerging talent in the state's athletics programme.

With Lakshita leading the women's 400m heats and Oshin winning the discus title, Haryana has already made a strong impression at the championships. Lakshita's 55.92 is particularly significant because it came against a field containing two athletes with recent World U20 Championship experience.

The next step will be maintaining that performance under greater pressure. For Bhoomika and Tanu, the challenge will be to close the gap in the semi-finals and potentially overturn Lakshita's advantage when the medals are decided.

Meanwhile, the men's 400m promises another interesting contest, with Ramu leading the way but Ebin KJ and Anuj Kumar close behind.

The National Youth Athletics Championships have once again provided a platform for India's emerging athletes to establish themselves. For Lakshita, the opportunity is now to turn the fastest heat time into something more substantial.

She has already set the benchmark.

The question now is whether anyone can catch her when the women's 400m reaches its decisive stages.