Asian U20 Athletics Championships: PM Modi congratulates Indian contingent for "outstanding performance"
New Delhi, June 1
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the Indian contingent for its outstanding performance at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
PM Modi congratulated the Indian contingent on winning 19 medals, including 10 Gold medals, at the Championships.
Modi said that the achievement reflects the determination and excellence of India's young athletes.
He expressed hope that these accomplishments would inspire many more young Indians to pursue sports in the years to come.
"Congratulations to the Indian contingent at the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships for winning 19 medals, including 10 Golds. This outstanding performance reflects the determination and excellence of India's young athletes. May these achievements inspire many more young Indians to pursue sports in the years to come," Modi wrote in an X post.
India concluded the 2026 Asian U20 Athletics Championships with a stellar haul of 19 medals, including 10 gold, to finish second in the overall standings behind China.
The achievement marked the country's best-ever performance at the continental meet held outside home soil.
"A Performance of Pure Statement. 10 Gold, 5 Silver, 4 Bronze. 19 medals. 2nd overall. A championship to remember for Team India at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships," Athletics Federation of India (AFI) wrote in an X post.
Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2026: India squad: Men: Rudra Sachin Shinde (200m 4x100m relay), Mohammed Ashfaq (400m, 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay), Piyush Raj (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Venkatram Reddy Mogali (800m), Sandeep Yadav, Vikas Kumar (3000m), Nikhil C (3000m steeplechase), Kiran Kunchan (110mh), Jashanpreet Singh, Amit Kumar (400mh), Nitin Gupta, Tushar Panwar (5000m race walk), Basant (high jump), Shahnavaz Khan, Jithin Arjunan Raman (long jump), Royshan Poorna Chandrasekar (triple jump), Nishchay (discus throw), Ashuvendra Pratap Singh, Aman (hammer throw), Ashish Yadav (javelin throw), Upkar, Rahul Jakhar (Decathlon), Anshu Rajak, Aditya Pisal, Nived Krishna J, Mehebubul Ahamed, Ranjith Kumar Senthil Kumar, Sayed Sabeer, Nakul Prabhu, Abhay Kumar Dubey (4x100m relay).
Women: Nipam (100, 4x100m relay), Bhumika Sanjay Nehate (200m, 4x100 relay, mixed 4x100m relay), Aarti (200m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Neeru Pathak (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Tahura Khutan (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m), Muskan (5000m), Mansi Avinash Yadav, Aisha Verma (3000m SC), Pooja (high jump), Sadhana Ravi (triple jump), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Poonam (javelin throw), Bhavana G (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (4x100m relay), Sehnoor Bawa (4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Kavita (400m, 4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay), Mehardeep Kaur (4x400m relay, mixed 4x400m relay).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Amazing performance by the Indian contingent! So proud of our girls and boys. The fact that we finished second behind China, that too on foreign soil, is incredible. But we still have a long way to go in terms of sports infrastructure at the school level. The government should use this as a springboard for bigger investments.
Great achievement by India's young athletes! 19 medals with 10 gold is impressive for any nation. I'm always amazed by the depth of talent coming out of India. The PM's message is well-timed to motivate these youngsters. Looking forward to seeing some of these names in the Olympics one day!
This is brilliant! But I wish we had more coverage of these events in mainstream media. Our athletes work so hard with limited resources. The PM's recognition is great, but we also need better facilities and coaching at the district level. Kudos to every medalist - you made India proud! ✨🎉
While the performance is commendable, I feel we need to be cautious about over-celebrating. U20 championships are good, but our senior level performance in athletics still lags behind. Let's hope these youngsters transition well to senior level. The real test will be in Asian Games and Olympics. Still, a moment to be proud of! 🇮🇳
So proud of our athletes! Especially the women's team - they performed exceptionally well. PM Modi's encouragement is timely. I hope this inspires more parents to support their children in sports, not just academics. India needs more athletes like these! 💪🌟