India made a steady start to its campaign at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026, with athletes competing across track and field events on the opening day in Eugene, USA. The day featured two finalists in the men’s javelin throw, a qualifier in the men’s 800m, and another finalist in the women’s discus throw.
The biggest highlight came in the men’s javelin throw, where Ashish Yadav and T. Dharanidharan both secured places in the final. Ashish impressed with a best throw of 69.87m, finishing second overall across both qualification groups. Dharanidharan also progressed after throwing 68.07m, claiming the 12th and final qualifying spot to ensure India will have two representatives in the medal round.
In the men’s 800m, India experienced mixed fortunes. Mogali Venkatram advanced to the semifinals after finishing third in his heat with a time of 1:52.81s, keeping India’s hopes alive in the event. However, Uwin Anand was unable to progress after placing seventh in Heat 1 in 1:52.37s, bringing his campaign to an end.
India also celebrated another qualification in the field events as Amanat Kamboj booked her place in the women’s discus throw final. She produced a season’s best of 52.58m, finishing sixth in Qualification Group A and 12th overall, which was enough to secure a spot in the medal contest.
The 4×400m mixed relay team narrowly missed out on a place in the final. The Indian quartet finished fourth in its heat, clocking 3:22.85s, but the performance was not enough to advance to the championship final.
With three individual finalists already confirmed—Ashish Yadav, T. Dharanidharan, and Amanat Kamboj—along with Mogali Venkatram’s progression to the men’s 800m semifinals, India has made a promising start to the championships and will look to build on that momentum in the days ahead.