The 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana produced several impressive performances.
Karnataka’s Nagini, Haryana’s Dheeraj Sahu and Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu claimed titles in closely contested finals.
The championships are being held at Guru Nanak Stadium from September 1 to 3.
Nagini Wins Thrilling 1000m Final
Karnataka’s Nagini clinched the women’s 1000m title after a tight battle at the finish line.
She clocked 2:54.25 to take gold.
Nagini finished just 0.15 seconds ahead of Haryana’s Hunny Malik.
Malik crossed the line in 2:54.40.
Rajasthan’s Deepika completed the podium in 2:54.82.
All three medalists finished within 0.57 seconds of each other.
Dheeraj Sahu Produces Lifetime Best
Haryana’s Dheeraj Sahu delivered one of the standout field-event performances.
He won the men’s discus throw with a lifetime best of 55.85m.
The 16-year-old improved his previous personal best by more than two metres.
Sahu trains at SAI Sonipat.
He produced the winning mark to finish ahead of Haryana teammate Yash, who threw 54.82m.
Swapnil claimed bronze with 54.47m.
The top four athletes all surpassed the 54m mark.
That result highlighted the depth of competition in the event.
The AFI lists the men’s U18 discus automatic qualification standard at 50.50m.
The leading athletes therefore comfortably cleared the benchmark.
Lodenge Ramu Claims 400m Gold with PB
Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu added another strong performance to his Youth Nationals campaign.
He won the men’s 400m title in a lifetime best of 47.21 seconds.
Ramu improved on his previous best to take gold.
Maharashtra’s Manas Shinde finished second in 47.92s.
Kerala’s Ebin KJ secured bronze in 48.05s.
Ramu had already emerged as the fastest athlete across the 400m heats on the opening day.
He clocked 48.19s in the heats.
Nagini, Dheeraj and Ramu delivered three strong title-winning performances.
Their results underlined the emerging talent on display at the Youth Nationals.