The Tamil Nadu jumper completed a long jump–triple jump double at the Junior Nationals in Chennai, adding to an impressive season that has already brought her an Asian U20 silver medal.
Sadhana Ravi came into the 41st National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai as one of Tamil Nadu’s most promising young jumpers. She left with two gold medals, a significant personal best and further evidence that her performances are beginning to make an impact beyond junior athletics.
The 18-year-old completed a rare horizontal jumps double, winning the women’s U20 long jump with 5.93m before producing a lifetime best of 13.22m to capture the triple jump title.
Her triple jump performance was particularly impressive. Sadhana improved her previous best of 13.08m by 14 centimetres, finishing almost a metre ahead of teammate Shrihanisha P, who took silver with 12.28m. Gujarat’s Hemanshi Parmar claimed bronze with 12.15m.
The 13.22m mark also placed Sadhana seventh among India’s senior women triple jumpers in the 2026 season, an encouraging achievement for an athlete still competing in the U20 category.
From National Junior Champion to Asian U20 Silver Medallist
In 2025, she won the U18 national long jump title in Bhubaneswar with 5.94m, which remains her personal best in the event. She also won triple jump gold at the Junior Federation Championships in Prayagraj with a clearance of 12.75m.
Her progress continued in 2026 when she opened the season with a triple jump personal best of 13.08m at the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru.
She subsequently won triple jump gold at the National U20 Federation competition, producing 12.97m, while also collecting silver in the long jump.
But perhaps her most significant achievement before Chennai came at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships, where she won silver in the triple jump with 12.84m.
That international medal demonstrated her ability to compete beyond the domestic junior circuit and provided valuable experience against some of Asia’s leading young jumpers.
Sadhana is also pursuing her education at SRM Institute of Science and Technology’s Vadapalani campus in Chennai, balancing academic commitments with the demands of competitive athletics.
The Challenge of Competing in Two Jumping Events
Competing successfully in both the long jump and triple jump requires more than simply being a powerful jumper.
Although both events depend on runway speed, take-off mechanics and explosive strength, the triple jump places considerably greater demands on an athlete’s ability to control the hop, step and jump phases while maintaining balance and momentum.
It also subjects the lower limbs to substantial impact forces.
For a young athlete developing across both disciplines, managing training loads and recovery is particularly important.
Sadhana’s performances suggest encouraging progress, especially in the triple jump, where she has improved from 12.75m in 2025 to 13.22m in 2026.
That progression will become increasingly significant as she moves towards senior competition.
What Lies Ahead for Sadhana Ravi?
While a 13.22m triple jump is impressive at the junior level, the standards required to compete in major senior international championships are considerably higher.
The challenge will be to build on her technical development, improve consistency and remain healthy as training intensity increases.
Her Asian U20 medal and national double provide a strong foundation, but her progression into senior athletics will require patience and carefully structured support.