Pooja Singh Leads India's Charge at World Athletics U20 Championships 2026
India's Ambitious Team Set for World Athletics U20 Championships
New Delhi, August 5: Pooja Singh, the senior national record holder and current Asian champion, will spearhead India's efforts at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026. The event is set to take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from August 5 to 9, featuring a robust 36-member track and field team.
As reported by Olympics.com, the Indian delegation consists of 23 male and 13 female athletes, entering the competition following a remarkable performance at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, where they secured second place with an impressive total of 19 medals, including 10 golds.
All eyes will be on the 19-year-old Pooja, who has emerged as a standout talent this season. She won the women's high jump at the Asian U20 Championships, clearing 1.93m, which not only set a new senior national record but also surpassed the previous record of 1.92m held by Sahana Kumari since 2012.
Pooja's gold medal performance also broke the championship record that had been in place since 2006 and earned her a spot in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she finished eighth under challenging rainy conditions.
In addition to Pooja, fellow Asian U20 champions Nitin Gupta and Shahnavaz Khan will also be key contenders for India in Oregon. Nitin won the men's 5000m race walk title at the continental event, while Shahnavaz excelled in the men's long jump.
The 2026 championships are expected to be the largest in history, with over 1,800 athletes from 147 member federations participating, surpassing the previous record of 1,558 athletes set in Lima in 2024.
India aims to improve upon its last performance in Lima, where a 43-member team returned with only one medal, a bronze won by Aarti in the women's 10,000m race walk.
Over the years, the World Athletics U20 Championships have been a launching pad for many of India's athletic stars. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made history as the country's first world U20 champion by winning the men's javelin throw with a world U20 record of 86.48m in Bydgoszcz in 2016.
Two years later, Hima Das became India's first track world U20 champion, clinching gold in the women's 400m at Tampere.
The Indian squad for Oregon showcases a diverse range of athletes competing in sprints, middle-distance events, jumps, throws, race walking, and relays, highlighting the country's growing strength in junior athletics as it aims for another successful outing on the global stage.
World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 Schedule (All timings in IST)
Wednesday, August 5
100m hurdles heptathlon heats – 10:30 PM
Men's javelin throw qualification A – 10:33 PM
4x400m mixed relay round 1 – 10:52 PM
Men's hammer throw qualification A – 11:15 PM
High jump heptathlon – 11:20 PM
Women's 100m round 1 – 11:24 PM
Men's javelin throw qualification B – 11:50 PM
Thursday, August 6
Men's 100m round 1 – 12:14 AM
Men's hammer throw qualification B – 12:45 AM
Men's 800m round 1 – 1:05 AM
Women's long jump qualification – 1:10 AM
Men's shot put qualification – 1:45 AM
Women's 800m round 1 – 1:55 AM
Women's pole vault qualification – 6:30 AM
Women's discus throw qualification A – 6:30 AM
Women's 100m semi-finals – 6:35 AM
Shot put heptathlon – 6:50 AM
Men's 100m semi-finals – 6:58 AM
Women's 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 7:30 AM
Women's discus throw qualification B – 7:50 AM
200m heptathlon heats – 8:05 AM
Men's shot put final – 8:20 AM
Women's 5000m final – 8:25 AM
Men's 5000m final – 8:52 AM
4x400m mixed relay final – 9:20 AM
Women's shot put qualification – 10:30 PM
Women's 400m hurdles round 1 – 10:32 PM
Long jump heptathlon – 10:55 PM
Men's 400m hurdles round 1 – 11:15 PM
Men's high jump qualification – 11:35 PM
Friday, August 7
4x100m mixed relay round 1 – 12:07 AM
Men's triple jump qualification – 12:20 AM
Women's 400m round 1 – 12:25 AM
Javelin throw heptathlon – 1:00 AM
Men's 400m round 1 – 1:10 AM
Men's 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 2:02 AM
Men's pole vault qualification – 6:35 AM
Women's discus throw final – 6:35 AM
800m heptathlon – 6:40 AM
Women's 1500m round 1 – 7:00 AM
Women's shot put final – 7:35 AM
Women's 1500m round 1 – 7:38 AM
Women's long jump final – 7:58 AM
Men's 400m semi-finals – 8:12 AM
Women's 400m semi-finals – 8:35 AM
Women's 100m final – 9:05 AM
Men's 100m final – 9:20 AM
Women's javelin throw qualification A – 10:30 PM
Men's 100m decathlon heats – 10:30 PM
Women's hammer throw qualification A – 10:35 PM
Women's 100m hurdles round 1 – 11:00 PM
Men's long jump decathlon – 11:15 PM
Women's high jump qualification – 11:35 PM
Men's 110m hurdles round 1 – 11:50 PM
Saturday, August 8
Women's hammer throw qualification B – 12:00 AM
Women's javelin throw qualification B – 12:07 AM
Women's 200m round 1 – 12:45 AM
Men's long jump qualification – 1:13 AM
Men's 200m round 1 – 1:40 AM
Men's shot put decathlon – 1:50 AM
Men's high jump decathlon – 5:30 AM
Men's hammer throw final – 5:35 AM
Women's 100m hurdles semi-finals – 7:45 AM
Men's 110m hurdles semi-finals – 8:10 AM
Women's 800m semi-finals – 8:35 AM
Men's triple jump final – 8:55 AM
Men's 800m semi-finals – 9:00 AM
Women's 200m semi-finals – 9:25 AM
Men's 200m semi-finals – 9:48 AM
Women's 3000m steeplechase final – 10:10 AM
Men's javelin throw final – 10:15 AM
Men's 400m decathlon – 10:30 AM
Men's 3000m final – 10:53 AM
Women's 400m final – 11:15 AM
Men's 400m final – 11:23 AM
Men's 110m hurdles decathlon – 10:30 PM
Women's triple jump qualification – 10:35 PM
Men's 5000m race walk final – 10:55 PM
Men's discus throw decathlon – 11:15 PM
Women's 5000m race walk final – 11:30 PM
Sunday, August 9
4x400m relay round 1 – 12:10 AM
Discus throw decathlon – 12:25 AM
4x400m relay round 1 – 12:40 AM
Men's pole vault decathlon – 12:55 AM
Women's 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:10 AM
Men's discus throw qualification A – 1:20 AM
Men's 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:40 AM
Men's pole vault decathlon – 1:45 AM
Men's discus throw qualification B – 2:30 AM
Men's javelin throw decathlon – 6:30 AM
4x100m mixed relay final – 6:35 AM
Men's high jump final – 6:35 AM
Women's 400m hurdles semi-finals – 6:45 AM
Women's pole vault final – 7:15 AM
Men's 400m hurdles semi-finals – 7:11 AM
Men's javelin throw decathlon – 7:35 AM
Men's 800m final – 7:38 AM
Men's long jump final – 7:40 AM
Women's 800m final – 7:53 AM
Women's 100m hurdles final – 8:05 AM
Men's 110m hurdles final – 8:15 AM
Women's 3000m final – 8:25 AM
Men's 200m final – 8:50 AM
Men's 1500m decathlon – 9:03 AM
Women's 200m final – 9:20 AM
Women's hammer throw final – 12:35 AM
Men's discus throw final – 12:40 AM
Men's pole vault final – 12:45 AM
Women's high jump final – 1:00 AM
Women's 4x100m relay final – 1:33 AM
Women's triple jump final – 1:42 AM
Men's 4x100m relay final – 1:45 AM
Women's 400m hurdles final – 2:00 AM
Men's 400m hurdles final – 2:10 AM
Women's javelin throw final – 2:18 AM
Women's 1500m final – 2:22 AM
Men's 3000m steeplechase final – 2:34 AM
Men's 1500m final – 2:55 AM
Women's 4x400m relay final – 3:12 AM
Men's 4x400m relay final – 3:25 AM
India's Team for Oregon
Men: Nitin Gupta (5000m race walk), K. Ambriesh (high jump), Uwin Anand Ananthan (800m), R.C. Jithin Arjunan (long jump), Mohammed Ashfaq (400m), Basant (high jump), T. Dharanidharan (javelin throw), Shahnavaz Khan (long jump), J. Krishna (4x100m relay), Amit Kumar (400m hurdles), Ranjith Kumar (4x400m relay), Nishchay (discus throw), Aditya Pisal (4x100m relay), Nakul Prabhu (4x400m relay), Dhanush Raj (triple jump), Piyush Raj (400m, 4x400m relay), Anshu Rajak (4x100m relay), P. Royshan (triple jump), Sayed Sabeer (4x400m relay), Neil Samraj (4x100m relay), Rudra Shinde (4x100m relay), Mogali Venkatram (800m), Ashish Yadav (javelin throw).
Women: Aarti (4x100m relay), Anshu (shot put), Thiya Arumugam (4x400m relay), G. Bhavana (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Tanu Chaudhary (400m hurdles), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Tahura Khatun (4x400m relay), Bhoomika Nehate (4x400m relay), Pooja Singh (high jump), Poonam (javelin throw), Ananya Suresh (4x100m relay), Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (4x100m relay).