World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: Basant, Shahnavaz create history as India win two more medals
Eugene, August 9
Basant Kumar Meghwal 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, to take India's medal tally at the championships to three.
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.
"In the last attempt at 2.24, I was a bit nervous, but it's okay. I will do better next time in senior competitions," Basant told Olympics.com.
Algeria's Younes Ayachi won gold after clearing 2.21m on his first attempt, while Great Britain's Otis Poole took bronze after clearing the height on his third attempt.
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.
Italy's Daniele Leonardo Inzoli won gold with 7.97m, while Australia's Mason McGroder secured silver with a personal-best 7.96m.
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.
The performances of Meghwal and Shahnavaz have now added two more landmark entries to India's growing record at the global junior championships.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Incredible performance by both athletes! Basant's personal best in high jump and Shahnavaz's 8.30m PB potential—these are Indian boys showing what dedication and hard work can achieve. We need more support for grassroots athletics in India. 🇮🇳
Really impressive from India's young athletes. The progression from Asian U20 champions to world-level medals shows the system is working. Looking forward to seeing these names in senior competitions soon.
Honestly, I'm thrilled but also thinking—we need better coaching and facilities at the district level. Imagine what these boys could do with world-class training! Neeraj Chopra set the template; now these juniors are following. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
Fantastic results for India! The high jump competition was so tight with three athletes at 2.21m—Basant's silver on countback is well deserved. And Shahnavaz's consistent jumps show real maturity. Great potential for the future.
Great to see India doing well in track and field, especially in events where we haven't traditionally excelled like high jump and long jump. Shahnavaz's 8.30m PB shows he has massive potential. More medal events for India to look forward to!
K Kavya N