Neeraj Chopra hails Basant, Shahnavaz for historic Under-20 World C'ship medals
New Delhi, August 10
India's former World Champion and Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra congratulated athletes Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan for their medal wins at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene.
Basant and Shahnavaz Khan created history at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene, Oregon, winning silver and bronze medals in the men's high jump and long jump, respectively, on Sunday, to take India's medal tally at the championships to three.
Posting on his X handle, Neeraj congratulated both athletes, writing, "A first of many for Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnawaz Khan, who won Silver and Bronze at the U-20 Worlds in the Men's High Jump and Long Jump, respectively. Kudos to them and the team behind the scenes working with such incredible talent!"
Basant became the first Indian athlete to win a high jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships after clearing a personal-best-equalling 2.21m for silver on Saturday, as per Olympics.com.The 19-year-old had previously cleared 2.21m at the Junior Federation Cup in Bengaluru in April, before winning gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong in May with a clearance of 2.20m.
Basant began his campaign in Eugene with a first-attempt clearance of 2.06m and needed two attempts to clear 2.12m. He then cleared 2.17m on his first attempt before matching his personal best of 2.21m with his second jump. The Indian failed to clear 2.24m in three attempts but finished second on countback after three athletes cleared 2.21m.
Shahnavaz, meanwhile, became the first Indian man to win a long jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships after producing a best effort of 7.84m for bronze. Shaili Singh had earlier won silver in the women's long jump at the 2021 edition.
The Indian U20 Asian champion opened with a 7.67m effort before improving to 7.72m and then registering his medal-winning leap of 7.84m in his third attempt. He followed it with jumps of 7.52m, 7.83m and 5.37m. Shahnavaz came into the competition with a personal best of 8.30m, which he recorded at the Indian Championships in June.
The two medals took India's tally in Eugene to three, following Ashish Yadav's silver in the javelin throw on Friday. The three-medal haul equals India's best-ever tally at the World Athletics U20 Championships, matching the medal count from the 2021 and 2022 editions, which also yielded two silver medals and one bronze.
India have won two gold medals in the history of the championships. Neeraj Chopra claimed javelin throw gold in 2016, while Hima Das won the women's 400m title in 2018. In both editions, the gold medal was India's only podium finish.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is why Neeraj Chopra's legacy is so important - he inspired an entire generation. Just think about it: his 2016 U20 gold was the beginning, now we have multiple kids clearing 2.21m in high jump and jumping 7.84m. The federation needs to keep this momentum going with better facilities and international exposure. Shaili Singh's silver in 2021 was a sign, and now these two have followed up. So proud of our young athletes! 👏
Great achievement, no doubt. But I hope the authorities actually support these athletes beyond social media congratulations. So many junior champions from India fade away because they don't get proper coaching, nutrition, and international competition after a flash of success. Basant's PB of 2.21m is good for U20 level but he'll need to add at least 10cm more to compete with the best seniors. Let's make sure we don't lose these talents!
Shahnavaz's PB is 8.30m yet he only managed 7.84m in the final. That gap shows he has the raw talent but needs to work on consistency under pressure. Still, a bronze at the Worlds at this age is remarkable. And Basant - what a clutch performance with only his second attempt needed at 2.21m! The future of Indian field events looks so bright. Double medal haul plus Ashish's silver in javelin means we're truly becoming a powerhouse in athletics. 🥈🥉
Ekdum jhakaas! (Absolutely fantastic!) Watching Indian athletes dominate in Eugene gives me goosebumps. Neeraj taking the time to post about the U20 athletes shows what a true champion he is - always lifting others. Basant from a small town and Shahnavaz - these are stories that inspire every kid in India. The three-medal haul matching our best-ever tally is historic. J
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.