India’s Young Athletes Win Three Medals at Asian U20 Athletics Championships, PM Modi Congratulates
India’s young athletes made the country proud by winning three medals at the 20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships held in Nairobi, Kenya from 18 to 22 August 2021. The Indian contingent bagged two silver medals and one bronze medal in the prestigious event, which saw more than 1,000 athletes from 131 countries competing for glory.
The silver medalists were Amit Khatri in the men’s 10,000m race walk and Shaili Singh in the women’s long jump. Khatri clocked a time of 42:17.94 to finish second behind Kenya’s Heristone Wanyonyi, who set a new championship record of 40:29.60. Singh leaped to a distance of 6.59m to secure the second spot behind Sweden’s Maja Askag, who jumped 6.60m.
The bronze medalist was Priya Mohan in the women’s 400m. She ran a personal best of 52.77 seconds to finish third behind Jamaica’s Nastassia Smith (51.04) and Namibia’s Beatrice Masilingi (51.19).
PM Modi lauds the achievements of the athletes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the athletes on their remarkable performances at the World Athletics U20 Championships. He said that athletics is gaining popularity across India and that this is a great sign for the times to come. He also wished them the best for their future endeavors.
In his tweet, he wrote:
Proud of our athletes! They performed exceptionally well at the 20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships! With 19 medals, including 6 golds, India soared to 3rd place among 45 nations. We celebrate the triumph of our athletes and wish them the very best for their future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/S5cX1wUqpY
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 9, 2023
This is not the first time that PM Modi has appreciated the achievements of Indian sportspersons on the global stage. He had also interacted with India’s Tokyo-bound athletes before the Olympic Games and congratulated them after their historic performance at the mega event, where India won seven medals, including a gold by javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
He had also mentioned the Olympians in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort and said that they have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations.
A new era of Indian Athletics
The success of Indian athletes at the World Athletics U20 Championships is a testament to the growing talent and potential of Indian athletics. The young stars have shown that they can compete with the best in the world and have a bright future ahead of them.
India has been witnessing a surge in interest and participation in athletics in recent years, thanks to the efforts of various stakeholders such as the government, sports federations, coaches, academies, sponsors, and media. The Khelo India scheme, launched by PM Modi in 2018, has been instrumental in identifying and nurturing grassroots talent across various disciplines, including athletics.
The results are evident as India has been producing some world-class athletes who have made their mark at various international events such as the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and Olympics. Some of the prominent names include Hima Das, Dutee Chand, Tejinderpal Singh Toor, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Jinson Johnson, Murali Sreeshankar, Avinash Sable and Kamalpreet Kaur.
With more exposure, training and support, India can hope to achieve greater heights in athletics in the coming years and emerge as a force to reckon with in the sport.
