Neeraj Chopra Celebrates Historic Medal Wins for Indian Athletes at U20 Championships

Historic Achievements in Eugene

Neeraj Chopra, India's former World Champion and Olympic medalist, extended his congratulations to athletes Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan for their remarkable performances at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 held in Eugene, Oregon.

Medal Wins at the Championships

Basant and Shahnavaz made headlines by securing silver and bronze medals in the men's high jump and long jump events, respectively, on Sunday. This achievement brought India's total medal count at the championships to three.

Neeraj's Message of Congratulations

On his social media platform, Neeraj expressed his pride, stating, "A first of many for Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan, who won Silver and Bronze at the U-20 Worlds in the Men's High Jump and Long Jump, respectively. Kudos to them and the team behind the scenes working with such incredible talent!"

Basant Kumar Meghwal's Silver Medal

Basant made history by becoming the first Indian to earn a high jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships, clearing a personal-best height of 2.21m to secure silver. Previously, he had matched this height at the Junior Federation Cup in Bengaluru and won gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong.

Shahnavaz Khan's Bronze Achievement

Shahnavaz Khan also made history by being the first Indian male to win a long jump medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships, achieving a best jump of 7.84m for bronze. His performance follows Shaili Singh's silver in the women's long jump at the 2021 championships.

India's Medal Count at the Championships

With these two medals, India's tally in Eugene reached three, following Ashish Yadav's silver in javelin throw on Friday. This marks India's best-ever performance at the World Athletics U20 Championships, equaling the medal count from the 2021 and 2022 editions.

Historical Context of India's Achievements

In the history of the championships, India has secured two gold medals. Neeraj Chopra won gold in javelin throw in 2016, while Hima Das claimed the women's 400m title in 2018, with both instances being India's only podium finishes.