Pooja Singh smashes 14-year high jump record, Jakhar wins gold

Pooja Singh set a new national record in the women's high jump, clearing 1.93m to win gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong. Rahul Jakhar also won gold in the decathlon, setting a new U20 national record.

India's Pooja Singh delivered a historic performance by clearing 1.93m in the women's high jump to break the long-standing national record held by Sahana Kumari for 14 years at the U20 Athletics Championships 2026 in Hong Kong on Friday. The remarkable effort also earned the youngster the gold medal.

In the decathlon, Rahul Jakhar clinched gold as India secured a dominant 1-2 finish, with Upkar taking silver. Rahul also set a new U20 national record with 7,185 points, achieving personal bests in seven of the 10 events during an outstanding all-round display.

A total of 48 Indian athletes, 30 men and 18 women, are representing the country at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2026 in Hong Kong, being held from May 28 to 31. The Athletics Federation of India selected the squad based on performances in domestic competitions, including the Junior Federation Cup held in Tumakuru in April. Indian athletes will also be aiming to secure qualification for the World U20 Athletics Championships 2026, set to be held at Hayward Field from August 5 to 9.

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 4x400m 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).

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