World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: India Eyes More Success on Day 4 After Ashish Yadav's Historic Silver
India heads into Day 4 of the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene with growing confidence after an encouraging opening three days that have already produced a historic medal, multiple finalists and several national-record performances.
Four Indian athletes and four relay teams will be in action on Saturday at Hayward Field as the country looks to build on the momentum generated by an impressive campaign.
The biggest highlight for India so far has been Ashish Yadav's silver medal in the men's javelin throw. The young thrower produced a best effort of 74.09m to secure India's first medal of the championships and become only the second Indian to win a medal in the men's javelin at the World U20 Championships after Neeraj Chopra's famous gold medal and world record in Bydgoszcz in 2016.
Ashish's achievement has once again highlighted India's growing strength in the javelin throw. While South Africa's Jan Hendrik Heymans claimed gold with a world-leading throw of 80.50 m, Ashish displayed remarkable consistency throughout the competition to finish second ahead of several highly rated throwers. India also celebrated another strong performance in the event as T. Dharanidharan recorded a season-best 72.35m to finish sixth, giving India two athletes inside the world's top six.
The athletics action continues on Day 4 with Basant carrying India's hopes in the men's high jump final. The reigning Asian U20 champion qualified comfortably after clearing 2.14m without difficulty, finishing 11th overall. Having enjoyed a breakthrough season that included a personal best of 2.21m and the Asian U20 title, Basant now gets the opportunity to test himself against the world's best junior high jumpers in what will be only the second international competition of his career.
India will also have double representation in the men's long jump final after both Shahnavaz Khan and Jithin Arjunan progressed through qualification. Shahnavaz produced a superb final-round leap of 7.73m to finish fifth overall after entering the final attempt under pressure. Jithin also delivered when it mattered most, improving to 7.57m with his last jump to secure the final qualifying position.
For Shahnavaz, the championships have already added another chapter to an extraordinary season. Over the past few months, he has improved his personal best twice, broken the Indian U20 national record, won the Asian U20 title, crossed the Asian Games qualifying mark and climbed to become India's third-best long jumper of all time. Reaching the World U20 final is another significant milestone in what has been a remarkable year.
The women's high jump final will also feature an Indian contender after national record holder Pooja Singh produced a flawless qualification performance. Entering the competition as one of the favourites, Pooja cleared both 1.76m and 1.79m on her first attempts to finish joint-first in her qualification group. With no athlete clearing the automatic qualifying height of 1.84m, fourteen jumpers advanced to the final, where Pooja will look to convert her excellent form into a medal challenge.
India's relay teams will also begin their campaigns on Saturday. The men's and women's 4x400m relay squads, along with the men's and women's 4x100m relay teams, will compete in the opening round, hoping to secure places in the finals. Relay events have traditionally provided exciting moments at international championships, and India's young teams will be eager to produce season-best performances on the global stage.
Nitin Gupta will compete in the men's 5000m race walk final, while Nischay will begin his campaign in the men's discus throw qualification, adding further Indian interest across the day's schedule.
Day 3 also witnessed another memorable chapter in Mohammed Ashfaq's breakthrough campaign. Although the 19-year-old finished eighth in the men's 400m final with a time of 46.20 seconds, his overall performance in Eugene established him as one of India's brightest sprint prospects.
Ashfaq entered the championships with a personal best of 46.05 seconds but left Eugene having produced three outstanding races. He rewrote the Indian U20 national record in the heats with 45.81 seconds before clocking 46.00 seconds in the semifinals to qualify for the world final.
Official split timings revealed the tactical differences between his record-breaking heat and the final. In the heats, Ashfaq covered the opening 300 metres in a controlled manner before finishing strongly, recording a final 100 metres of 12.19 seconds. In the final, however, he attacked the race much earlier, reaching 200 metres significantly quicker before fading over the closing stages, where his final 100 metres slowed to 13.00 seconds.
The final itself was one of the fastest ever witnessed at the World U20 Championships. American Jayden DeLeon won gold in a championship record 44.47 seconds ahead of compatriot Quincy Wilson (44.62s) and South Africa's Leendert Koekemoer (44.96s), making it the first time in championship history that all three medallists broke the 45-second barrier.
India also experienced heartbreak on Day 3 as Poonam narrowly missed qualifying for the women's javelin final. Her best throw of 48.81m temporarily held the 12th and final qualifying position before Slovenia's Živa Križ produced a late 49.22m effort to push the Indian out of the qualification spots.
With one medal already secured, multiple finalists in action and relay teams ready to begin their campaigns, India enters Day 4 with genuine optimism. The performances over the opening days have demonstrated the growing depth of Indian junior athletics, and another successful day in Eugene could further underline the country's emergence as a serious force at the global junior level.
India's Day 4 Schedule (All timings in IST)
Morning Session
10:40 PM – Men's 5000m Race Walk Final – Nitin Gupta
11:15 PM – Women's 4x400m Relay Round 1 – India
12:10 AM (Aug 9) – Men's 4x400m Relay Round 1 – India
12:33 AM (Aug 9) – Women's 4x100m Relay Round 1 – India
1:03 AM (Aug 9) – Men's 4x100m Relay Round 1 – India
2:45 AM (Aug 9) – Men's Discus Throw Qualification (Group B) – Nischay
Evening Session
6:40 AM (Aug 9) – Men's High Jump Final – Basant
7:55 AM (Aug 9) – Men's Long Jump Final – Shahnavaz Khan, Jithin Arjunan
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