National Junior Athletics Championships: Haryana’s Teen Sensation Nishchay Smashes Discus Record on Day 4

Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: Haryana's towering teenage thrower Nishchay emerged as the star performer on the fourth day of the 40th National Junior Athletics Championships at the Kalinga Stadium, producing a record-breaking show in the U18 boys' discus throw event on Monday (October 13).

The youngster hurled the 1.5kg discus to a distance of 63.69m, breaking the previous meet record of 60.17m set by Atul in Guwahati (2022). His throw - part of a superb series of 63.56m, 63.69m, 61.22m, foul, 62.62m, and foul - placed him firmly among India's brightest young prospects.

Nishchay also dominated the shot put earlier in the meet, clinching gold with a throw of 19.48m, completing a rare double in the throws category. His discus gold was even more special,

as his performance comfortably surpassed the qualification mark of 56m for the 2026 World U20 Championships in Oregon, USA - making him one of the strongest contenders for the Indian squad.

Rajasthan's Vishal Kumar also impressed, taking silver with 60.90m, a distance that too went beyond the previous record, while Usman Ali Khan of Madhya Pradesh claimed bronze with 58.81m.

Sprinters Shine with Record-Breaking Runs

It wasn't just the field events that witnessed history. The track too saw fireworks as Odisha's Pratik Maharana and Uttar Pradesh's Neeru Pathak shattered meet records in the 200m finals of their respective age groups.

Pratik, representing the host state, clocked 21.24 seconds in the U20 men's 200m, narrowly eclipsing the previous meet record of 21.26 seconds held by Veeresh Mathur (2023). Punjab's Jasjit Singh Dhillon (21.59s) and Maharashtra's Arnav Takalkar (21.65s) rounded off the podium.

Among the women, international sprinter Neeru Pathak continued her stellar form, winning the U20 women's 200m in 24.05 seconds - breaking Sakshi Chavan's 2024 mark of 24.14s. The victory came on the back of her earlier gold in the 400m, underlining her growing dominance in the national sprinting circuit. Suba Dharsini S (Tamil Nadu, 24.35s) and Kajal Vaja (Gujarat, 24.74s) claimed silver and bronze respectively.

Other Highlights of Day 4

In a day full of strong performances across categories, several other athletes made their mark:

U20 Men's 400m hurdles: Vishnu (Tamil Nadu) 51.74s, Gurudeep Singh (Tamil Nadu) 52.02s, Bhushan Patil (Karnataka) 52.07s.

U20 Men's Shot Put (6kg): Sai Kiran A (Telangana) 18.42m, Anuj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) 18.31m, Omkar Prasad Nand (Odisha) 18.24m.

U20 Women's 800m: Vaishnavi Rawal (Karnataka) 2:07.84s, Payal (Haryana) 2:08.27s, Geetika Dahiya (Haryana) 2:09.18s.

U20 Women's 400m hurdles: Muskan (Haryana) 1:01.75s, Apurva Naik (Karnataka) 1:02.56s, G. Prithika (Tamil Nadu) 1:02.79s.

U20 Women's Shot Put (4kg): Tamanna (Haryana) 15.08m, Anupriya VS (Kerala) 14.49m, Alka Singh (Bihar) 14.03m.

U20 Men's 4x100m Relay: Karnataka (41.71s), Tamil Nadu (41.73s), Punjab (41.76s).

U20 Women's 4x100m Relay: Maharashtra (47.72s), Karnataka (47.75s), Kerala (49.47s).

U18 Boys' 5km Race Walk: Tushar Panwar of Uttarakhand struck gold with a time of 20:11.35, followed by Firdous Alam (Assam, 20:16.30) and Prashant Kumar (Madhya Pradesh, 20:21.73).

U18 Girls' 200m: Aarti of Haryana emerged victorious with timing of 24.25s, ahead of Monika Raha (West Bengal, 24.75s) and Rashi Singh (Uttar Pradesh, 24.91s).

Rising Stars and Future Prospects

The day also saw impressive all-round performances in combined events. Imran Alam (Bihar) triumphed in the U16 boys' pentathlon with 3911 points, while Anamika Ajesh (Kerala) topped the U16 girls' pentathlon with 4096 points.

In the U20 women's heptathlon, Sriteja Tholem (Telangana) led the field with 4654 points, followed by Harshita (Delhi) and Priya (Haryana).

The competition will continue on Tuesday, with several marquee finals scheduled, as India's next generation of athletes chase glory at one of the country's most prestigious junior meets.