Nothing succeeds quite like success. For decades, Indian track and field operated in a vacuum of near misses, where global medals were treated as rare anomalies rather than achievable targets. But around the world, sports operates on visual evidence. When Neeraj Chopra launched a javelin into the Tokyo sky, and when Sarvesh Kushare began consistently hitting elite heights on the world stage, it transcended medals, headlines, or top six finishes—they fundamentally altered how we view and feel sport.
Javelin and high jump have suddenly emerged as India’s unexpected dual engines on the international circuit. Success at the top creates a blueprint; major medals provide a concrete reason for a younger generation to seek out glory. When elder torchbearers carve out a path, the downstream effect naturally manifests in the junior ranks.
That inspiration was fully on display at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon. While the nation’s sporting conversation often remains fixated on the glitz, cash rewards, and grand felicitations flowing toward major senior medallists, India’s track and field teenagers quietly matched their best-ever tally at the marquee junior event, capturing three medals under the radar.
Leading that charge was 19-year-old Basant Kumar Meghwal, who secured India’s first-ever high jump silver at the World U-20 level. The reigning Asian U-20 champion came agonizingly close to gold, clearing a personal-best 2.21 metres—the exact height achieved by Algeria’s Younes Ayachi. Basant missed out on the top step of the podium strictly via countback, having taken one additional attempt during the competition; a heartbreak reminiscent of Sarvesh Kushare’s experiences.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Basant reflected from Eugene. “Equalling my personal best and becoming the first Indian high jumper to land a World U-20 medal is deeply special. But losing gold strictly on a countback—knowing it came down to just one extra attempt—definitely stings.”
Basant’s journey underscores the changing reality of Indian athletics. Hailing from 12B (yes, that is his actual village name), a remote agricultural settlement situated near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan, his initiation into the sport was entirely rudimentary. He first observed high jump as a primary school student watching seniors leap over an improvised pit.
“I was fascinated by the idea of jumping over a bar,” Basant recalled. “I asked our physical education teacher if I could try. We had no real infrastructure then—just bamboo sticks for a crossbar and bare dirt for landing.”
Driven by a growing obsession, Basant turned to YouTube to teach himself the mechanics of the sport, graduating from the rudimentary scissor technique to the Fosbury Flop. Realizing the danger of landing head-first without high-density polyurethane crash mats, he improvised by stacking household bed mattresses to cushion his falls.
His self-taught era ended after consistent age-group success earned him a spot at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru under former national record holder Sahana Kumari.
“He possessed the ideal raw physical framework—tall, lean, and naturally aggressive at the bar,” Sahana noted. “However, because he lacked formal coaching in his early years, we had to systematically rebuild his training methodology.”
The structured regimen yielded rapid gains, culminating in a breakout 2.21m leap at the National U-20 Championships in Tumakuru, which secured his international qualification.
Of course, Basant’s journey began well before Kushare’s recent senior breakthroughs. Yet, seeing senior athletes contend at the highest level provides the vital push required to deliver when standing on the World U-20 stage.
“I know there is a long way to go,” Basant admitted. “Competing against top seniors like Sarvesh bhaiya will only force me to elevate my game.”