Four days of the five-day 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026 have been completed at Chennai’s iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, and the action has been nothing short of spectacular!
Not a single day has gone by without a record being shattered. Across the first four days, India’s young athletic talents have rewritten national records around 20 times, alongside multiple meet records.
From a 13-year-old smashing the girls’ U16 javelin throw national record to a thrilling battle for the U16 80m hurdles national record, the championships have delivered one memorable moment after another.
NNIS Sports presents the best moments from the Junior Nationals 2026!
1. MINAKSHI SMASHES NATIONAL RECORD IN GIRLS’ U16 JAVELIN THROW!
Just 13 years old, Haryana’s Minakshi produced a sensational lifetime best of 54.40m to shatter the national record at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
She added a massive 7.53m to the previous national record of 46.87m!
Minakshi’s series: 54.40m, 51.41m, 51.48m, 53.67m, 51.62m, X. All five of her legal throws went beyond 50m.
2. ABINAYA CLOCKS 11.49s — FASTER THAN HER OWN U20 NATIONAL RECORD!
Tamil Nadu’s Abinaya Rajarajan clinched the women’s U20 100m title with a superb 11.49s at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Her winning time was faster than her previous U20 national record of 11.54s. However, as she turns 20 in 2026, the performance may not qualify for ratification as a U20 national record under the standard age-eligibility rules.
The 11.49s is also her third-fastest time ever. After returning from injury this season, she has already clocked 11.34s and a personal best of 11.31s.
3. NEIL SHATTERS U18 MEN’S 100m NATIONAL RECORD FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE COMPETITION!
Tamil Nadu’s Neil Samraj once again rewrote the U18 men’s 100m national record, clocking a lifetime best of 10.45s at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
At his previous competition, he improved the record with a time of 10.46s. Today, he went even faster, clocking 10.45s!
4. LODENGE RAMU SHATTERS U18 MEN’S 400m NATIONAL RECORD!
Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu rewrote the boys’ U18 400m national record with a lifetime best of 46.80s at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Maharashtra’s Manas Shinde secured silver in 47.24s, while Haryana’s Aditya claimed bronze in 47.79s.
5. TANU SHATTERS 11-YEAR-OLD MEET RECORD IN U18 WOMEN’S 400m!
Uttar Pradesh’s Tanu Chaudhary clinched the girls’ U18 400m title with a lifetime best of 53.40s at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026, breaking Jisna Mathew’s 11-year-old meet record of 53.85s.
Punjab’s Sehnoor won silver in 54.27s, while Tamil Nadu’s Sahaya claimed bronze in 55.66s.
The 17-year-old arrived with a personal best of 55.87s and went on to record three consecutive personal bests across the rounds:
- Round 1: 54.45s (PB)
- Semifinal: 54.35s (PB)
- Final: 53.40s (PB)
6. RAHUL JHAKKAR BETTERS U20 DECATHLON MEET RECORD!
Gujarat’s Rahul Jhakkar clinched the men’s U20 decathlon title with 7,125 points at the Junior Nationals 2026, surpassing Thowfeeq’s 2023 meet record of 7,065 points.
The U20 Asian champion had already broken the U20 national record this season with a lifetime best of 7,185 points.
This season, Rahul has competed in three decathlons, recording 6,939 → 7,185 → 7,125 points.
His biggest points loss today came in the 1,500m, where he scored just 416 points after running nearly half a minute slower than his season best.
7. CHUKI BIRDA, DAKSH SOLANKI AND THANARESH C SET NEW BENCHMARKS!
Rajasthan’s Chuki Birda cleared a lifetime best of 3.91m to break the women’s U20 pole vault national record.
Haryana’s Daksh Solanki clinched gold with a lifetime best of 70.32m, bettering the boys’ U16 javelin throw national record.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Tharanesh C won gold with a lifetime best of 17.86m, setting a new boys’ U16 shot put national record.
8. A 13-YEAR-OLD INDIAN ATHLETE THROWS JAVELIN 71.20m!
Haryana’s Varun Bhambhu shattered the boys’ U14 javelin throw national record with a massive throw of 71.20m at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Varun is the son of Hanuman, a former javelin thrower and coach who has trained athletes including Deepika, Jyoti and Minakshi — national record holders across multiple junior categories.
Hanuman coaches athletes in Bangaon, a small village in Haryana popularly known as India’s “Mini Finland” for its javelin-throwing culture.
Uttar Pradesh’s Vinay won silver with 62.17m, while Bihar’s Rahul claimed bronze with 58.55m.
9. AMANUEL KISKU SNATCHES BACK THE U16 80m HURDLES NATIONAL RECORD!
Jharkhand’s Amanuel Kisku reclaimed the U16 80m hurdles national record with a lifetime best of 10.10s in the final at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Amanuel clocked 10.17s in the heats before Vikas took the record in the semifinals with 10.12s. But Amanuel struck back in the final to reclaim the national record!
Kerala’s Gouresh won silver in 10.11s, while Bihar’s Rohit Raj claimed bronze in 10.26s.
The event showcased incredible depth: across the three rounds, four athletes collectively recorded nine performances faster than the previous national record of 10.28s!
10. NISCHAY SHATTERS 16-YEAR-OLD DISCUS THROW NATIONAL RECORD!
Haryana’s Nischay clinched the men’s U18 discus throw title with a lifetime best of 66.75m, smashing the 16-year-old national record at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Remarkably, all three of his legal attempts surpassed the previous national record!
Nischay’s series: 64.72m, 66.75m, 64.70m, X, X, X.
Nischay now holds the national records in both the U18 and U20 men’s discus throw categories!
Rajasthan’s Vishal won silver with 57.72m, while Haryana’s Dev Chauhan claimed bronze with 55.28m.
11. GUJARAT’S MIXED 4x100m RELAY TEAM BREAKS THE NATIONAL RECORD!
Gujarat’s mixed 4x100m relay team shattered the national record with a stunning 44.37s at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026, improving the previous mark by almost a second!
The quartet comprised decathlete Rahul Jhakkar, 100m silver medallist Kajal, Rajendera Prasad and Vikram.
Defending champions Punjab settled for silver in 45.01s, while Kerala claimed bronze in 45.43s.
Remarkably, both Gujarat and Punjab clocked faster times than Punjab’s previous national record of 45.29s, set in 2025!
12. AARAV SINGH SHATTERS U16 PENTATHLON NATIONAL RECORD!
Uttar Pradesh’s Aarav Singh won gold in the boys’ U16 pentathlon, smashing the national record with 4,178 points at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Tamil Nadu’s Jasvandh claimed silver with 4,102 points, while Telangana’s Lovelith won bronze with 4,102 points.
What makes the competition even more remarkable? All six athletes surpassed the previous national record of 3,911 points!
Final standings:
- Aarav Singh — 4,178 points
- Jasvandh — 4,102 points
- Lovelith — 4,102 points
- Vikas — 4,027 points
- Ravi — 4,017 points
- Meshram — 3,925 points
13. BHAVANA G BREAKS THE WOMEN’S 200m MEET RECORD TWICE!
Tamil Nadu’s Bhavana G stormed to gold in the women’s 200m, clocking another personal best of 23.82s at the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
Bhavana first lowered the meet record to 23.93s in the semifinals before improving it further to 23.82s in the final, registering back-to-back personal bests!
Gujarat’s Kajal Vaja won silver in 24.10s, while Haryana’s Nancy claimed bronze in 24.26s.
14. NEIL SAMRAJ BETTERS THE U18 MEN’S 200m NATIONAL RECORD!
Tamil Nadu’s Neil Samraj continued his sprint domination, shattering the U18 men’s 200m national record with a lifetime best of 21.03s at the ongoing 41st National Junior Athletics Championships 2026.
After winning the U18 men’s 100m gold with a national record of 10.45s, Neil has now completed a sprint double with another national record in the 200m!
Remarkably, his 100m and 200m times of 10.45s and 21.03s were both faster than the respective gold-medal-winning times in the U20 categories!
Telangana’s Lodenge Ramu won silver in 21.36s, while Maharashtra’s Manas Shinde claimed bronze in 21.48s.