The next generation of Indian athletics impressed on the opening day of the 21st National Youth Athletics Championships 2026 in Ludhiana.
Lakshita, Lodenge Ramu and Sanket Swami emerged as the fastest athletes in their respective heats.
Lakshita Leads Women’s 400m
Haryana’s Lakshita recorded the fastest time across all five women’s 400m heats.
She clocked 55.92s. She was also the only athlete to break 56 seconds in the heats.
India’s World U20 finalists Bhoomika Nehate and Tanu Chaudhary followed her.
Nehate clocked 56.09s, while Chaudhary recorded 56.46s.
Both athletes were part of India’s women’s 4x400m relay team.
The team reached the final at the recently concluded World Athletics U20 Championships.
The women’s 400m semifinals will start at 16:45 IST.
Lodenge Ramu Leads Men’s 400m
16-year-old Lodenge Ramu topped all four men’s 400m heats.
He clocked 48.19s.
Ramu owns a lifetime best of 47.56s from earlier this season.
He finished ahead of Ebin KJ, who clocked 48.65s.
Anuj Kumar followed with 48.67s.
The men’s 400m semifinals will start at 17:00 IST.
Ramu will be among the athletes looking to reach the final.
Sanket Swami Fastest in Men’s 100m
Haryana’s Sanket Swami also made an impressive start in the men’s 100m.
He clocked 10.85s, the fastest time across all five heats.
Mehebubul Ahamed was second-fastest with 10.89s.
Divraj Singh followed closely with 10.90s.
The men’s 100m semifinals and final will take place this evening.
The races will decide India’s fastest youth sprinter.
The National Youth Championships have already produced strong performances.
Three sprint events have delivered impressive results in the heats.
The performances offer an early glimpse of India’s young athletics talent.
These athletes will look to make their mark in Indian athletics.