Pooja Singh Falters in High Jump as India Finish World U20 Championships With 3 Medals

India wrapped up its campaign at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA, with three medals, matching its haul from the 2021 and 2022 editions, but the final day brought disappointment for some of its biggest medal hopes.

National senior record holder Pooja Singh endured a below-par outing in the women’s high jump final, finishing seventh after clearing only 1.84m. The 19-year-old had entered the competition with high expectations after setting the national senior record of 1.93m while winning gold at the Asian U20 Championships in May.

Pooja could not clear 1.87m, failing in all three attempts at the height. Australia’s Izobelle Louison-Roe took gold with 1.92m, while Hungary’s Lilianna Batori and Spain’s Aitana Alonso shared the remaining podium places with 1.90m clearances.

The disappointment continued in the women’s 4x400m relay, where India finished ninth and last in the final with a time of 3:45.28. The quartet of Bhoomika Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Tanu Chaudhary and Thiya Arumugam finished well behind champions USA, who clocked 3:29.15. Australia took silver and Great Britain bronze.

India’s three-medal tally was built by Ashish Yadav, who won silver in the men’s javelin, while Basant Kumar Meghwal claimed silver in the men’s high jump and Shahnavaz Khan secured bronze in the long jump.

The performance also underlined India’s growing presence at the junior world level. Between 2002 and 2018, the country managed only four medals, including historic golds for Neeraj Chopra in the 2016 men’s javelin and Hima Das in the 2018 women’s 400m.

Since 2021, however, India has consistently returned with multiple medals, making its three-medal haul in Eugene another sign of a steadily expanding athletics pipeline.