Poonam came agonisingly close to qualifying for the women’s javelin final at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026, missing out by just one place after a dramatic finish to qualification.
Poonam opened with a throw of 48.81m, a mark that kept her firmly in contention for a place in the final. However, she was unable to improve on it, recording two consecutive fouls in her second and third attempts.
Her opening effort was enough to put her 7th in Qualification Group A and, for much of the qualification round, 12th overall — a position that would have secured the final qualifying spot.
But the qualification battle went down to the wire.
With Group B still completing its attempts, Slovenia’s Živa Križ, who was 12th in the throwing order, produced a crucial 49.22m on her final attempt.
That late effort lifted Križ into the top 12 and pushed Poonam down to 13th overall.
The Indian youngster was therefore left just outside the final despite a solid 48.81m opening throw.
It was a particularly painful exit for Poonam, who was just one position — and less than half a metre — away from making the World U20 final.