The 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition is set to be held from April 24 to 26, 2026, at the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Stadium in Tumkur, Karnataka, with around 40 events lined up across men’s and women’s categories.

A 3-day event packed with action:
Day 1: Early finals – 5000m, Pole Vault, Discus, 100m finals, etc.
Day 2: Bulk of finals – field events, middle distance, hurdles
Day 3: Remaining finals – 800m, 200m, steeplechase, relays

What makes this event even more special is that it will also serve as a qualification meet for the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships and, more importantly, the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled to take place in Eugene, Oregon, USA, from 5–9 August 2026.

In past editions, India has produced some of the best results at the U20 Worlds:

  1. Neeraj Chopra — 2016 (Javelin Throw):
    In 2016, India’s wonder boy stepped onto Poland’s Zawisza Stadium with a spear in his right hand and made history. He won gold with a U20 world record throw of 86.48m, securing India’s first-ever U20 gold in javelin. This remains one of the greatest junior performances globally.
  2. Hima Das — 2018 (400m):
    In 2018, Hima Das created one of the most iconic moments in Indian sporting history, becoming the first Indian woman to win a track gold at a global event, clocking 51.46s.
  3. Shaili Singh — 2021 (Long Jump):
    Currently India’s all-time second-best jumper (6.76m), she won silver with a jump of 6.59m. It was a special moment for the girl from Jhansi, supported by her mother and trained at the Anju Bobby George Academy, breaking barriers along the way.
  4. Selva Prabhu — 2022 (Triple Jump):
    India’s U20 national record holder won silver at the 2022 U20 World Championships with a jump of 16.15m, which was his lifetime best at the time.
  5. Aarti — 2024 (Racewalking):
    Although the last edition did not go as planned for India, only one athlete reached the podium. Aarti delivered a standout performance, winning bronze and breaking India’s U20 national record in race walking with a time of 44:39.39.

This year promises to be just as exciting, with several athletes preparing to perform on the biggest U20 stage:

  1. Pratik Maharana (Sprints):
    A young sprinter from Odisha, a region known for producing some of India’s fastest athletes. The state has seen names like Amiya Mallick (10.26s) and Dutee Chand (11.17s). Pratik, trained by coach Siba Mishra, has already breached the World Championships qualification mark by clocking 21.24s to win gold at the Junior Nationals. However, he will need to repeat that performance here to confirm his ticket to Eugene.
  2. Mohammed Ashfaq (400m):
    Kerala’s rising talent is one to watch. The 18-year-old impressed at the Senior South Asian Athletics Championships, winning silver in the 400m with a lifetime best of 46.56s. Competing against experienced athletes like Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Kumarage (46.21s), Ashfaq also secured three medals overall – gold in the mixed 4x400m and silvers in the individual 400m and men’s 4x400m.
  3. Pooja Singh (High Jump): Pooja has been steadily raising the bar, literally. The 18-year-old recently cleared a lifetime best of 1.90m at the Indian Series–3. She had already made the final at the last U20 Worlds, where she broke the U20 national record with 1.83m. This time, she heads in as a Senior Asian outdoor champion and indoor silver medallist.

Along with these names, several others will be worth watching:

  • Rishabh Giri (Men’s Javelin), Poonam (Women’s events), Sai Kiran (Shot Put), Parth Singh and Aarti (100m), along with others.