The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced the selection criteria for the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships, which will be held in Eugene, USA. Athletes will be selected based on their performance in three domestic competitions, including the Indian Athletics Series and the National Junior Federation Competition.
India has announced a 36-member squad, comprising 23 men and 13 women, for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA, from August 5 to 9. The team includes national record holder Pooja Singh and long jumper Shahnavaz Khan, and will compete across 18 track and field events.
Indian athletes Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan have made history at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 in Eugene, Oregon, winning silver in men's high jump and bronze in men's long jump, respectively, bringing India's medal tally to three.
Indian athlete Basant Kumar Meghwal clinched a silver medal in the men's high jump event at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA. Achieving a personal best of 2.21m, Meghwal contributed to India's growing medal tally, which also includes a silver from Ashish Yadav in javelin throw.
Ashish Yadav secured a silver medal in the men's javelin throw at the World Athletics U20 Championships, marking India's first medal at the event. His throw of 74.09m placed him second, following South Africa's Jan-Hendrik Heymans who won gold. Yadav is now the second Indian to win silver in this event, after Neeraj Chopra.
The Indian women's wrestling contingent achieved significant success at the U-20 World Wrestling Championship in Bratislava, securing three medals. Mansi Lather earned a silver medal in the 68kg category, while Tanvi Magdum (57kg) and Komal (59kg) each contributed with bronze medals, showcasing India's growing prowess in junior wrestling.
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has lauded the performance of Indian junior athletes at the World Athletics U20 Championships in the USA, where they secured two silver and one bronze medal.
Basant Kumar Meghwal and Shahnavaz Khan became the first Indians to win a medal each in high jump and long jump at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships.
Nairobi, Kenya, has been selected to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, marking the first time an African city will stage the prestigious event. World Athletics also announced Munich as the host for the 2031 championships. This decision follows Nairobi's previous unsuccessful bid for 2025 and highlights Kenya's strong connection to athletics.
India bids for another global meet, this time 2028 World Indoor Athletics Championships
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed optimism about the state securing hosting rights for the World Athletics Championship 2031 after meeting a delegation from the international governing body. The delegation is assessing Gujarat's sports infrastructure and readiness for both the 2028 U20 Championships and the 2031 senior championships, highlighting the state's growing ambition to host major global sporting events.
Ashish Yadav, a 19-year-old javelin thrower, won a silver medal at the World Under-20 championships, becoming the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to achieve this feat. Despite his sporting success and significant improvement in performance through systematic training in Hisar, Yadav continues to search for a job to support his family, highlighting the financial challenges faced by many aspiring athletes.
The 17-year-old Aarti clocked 44 minutes 39.39 seconds to finish third in the gruelling event on the penultimate day of competitions at the World U20 Championships.
The Delhi High Court has sought WFI's response on Vinesh Phogat's plea to participate in the September 14 selection trials for the 2026 World Championship.
Kajal Dhochak clinched her second consecutive U20 World title in wrestling, while teammates Tanu Sharma and Savita secured silver medals at the Under-20 Wrestling World Championship.
Long jumper Shahnavaz Khan and high jumper Basant Kumar Meghwal, both recent World Athletics U20 Championships medalists, are now setting their sights on podium finishes at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, aiming to improve their personal bests.
With these two latest additions, India's gold tally has swelled to three.
Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar have been awarded the rights to host the Asian Relays in 2027 and the Asian Indoor Championships in 2028, respectively, marking a significant moment for Indian athletics.
Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar have been awarded the rights to host the Asian Relays in 2027 and the Asian Indoor Championships in 2028, respectively, marking a significant achievement for Indian athletics.
Ashish Yadav clinched a silver medal in the men's javelin throw, marking India's first medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships. Pooja Singh also advanced to the women's high jump final, while other Indian athletes competed in various events, including the men's 400m and long jump, showcasing promising talent.
India will host the World Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time in 2028 in Bhubaneswar. The decision was made at the World Athletics Council meeting in Torun, Poland.
The Indians clocked their season best performance of 3:22.54s to finish second in heat one and overall third.
With this podium finish in the triple jump event, Indian athlete Selva Prabhu qualifies for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and the World Indoor Championships.
India's Asian Games athletics team has been trimmed to 74 members, with prominent athletes like javelin thrower Annu Rani, long jumper Shahnavaz Khan, and sprinter Nithya Gandhe dropped due to performance or medical reasons. The decision followed a confirmatory event, while some injured national record holders were cleared to participate.
Nishu has won the 53kg category at the national selection trials, setting up a final bout against Asian Games-bound Antim Panghal for a spot in the Senior World Wrestling Championships. Other wrestlers like Kajal, Simran, Neelam, Tapsya, and Srishti also secured top positions in their respective weight categories, showcasing the depth of talent in Indian wrestling.
On Tuesday, she had won a silver as part of the 4x400m relay quartet that finished second behind USA with an Asian junior record time of 3:17.76s.
Defending champion Sarah Chelangat and Harbert Kibet aim for Ugandan victories in the TCS World 10K, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race. Chelangat is fit and seeks to improve her time, while Kibet's impressive form makes him a favourite. Challengers include Brenda Jepchirchir and Fantaye Belayneh in the women's race, and Rodrigue Kwizera and Gemechu Dida in the men's race.
The Jhansi-born athlete, who was raised by a single mother -- a tailor by profession -- currently trains at the academy of Anju Bobby George in Bengaluru. She is coached by Anju's husband Bobby George.
It is only the second time a tournament run by world football's governing body FIFA has featured as many as 48 teams.
A 12-member Indian squad, led by Ram Baboo and Manju Rani, will compete in the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia, Brazil.
Ahmedabad proposed as host city for 2031 World Athletics C''ships and 2028 World U20 C''ships
India's Amit Khatri won the silver medal in the 10km race walk at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi on Saturday.
Australian-born forward Ryan Williams is set to make his debut for India in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier against Hong Kong after FIFA cleared his change of association.
Indian triple jumper Selva P Thirumaran improved upon his personal best to clinch the silver medal at the World Under-20 Athletics Championship, in Cali Colombia, on Friday.
Mixing strong defence with measured attack, young wrestler Antim Panghal won her second World Championship medal with a dominating 9-1 victory over U-23 World Champion Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren in the bronze play-off in Zagreb on Thursday, ensuring that the Indian contingent won't return empty-handed from the Croatian capital.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) disqualified over 500 wrestlers from a U-17 tournament in Gonda due to age fraud, exposed by a new Aadhaar-based verification system. This stringent check revealed significant discrepancies between birth certificates and Aadhaar records, with WFI vowing to continue this crackdown to ensure fair play in age-group competitions.
National record holders Dev Kumar Meena and Baranica Elangovan will be among the top athletes at the inaugural Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition in Bhubaneswar.
India has submitted bids to host the 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships as well as the 2026 Asian Relays, in line with the country's efforts to stage continental and global events in the coming years.
Praveen Kumar, a para-athlete who overcame physical limitations to excel in high jump, will be awarded the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian para sport. He is a Paralympic champion and Arjuna Award recipient.
A star-studded field, including national record holders, will compete at the Indian Athletics Series 3 in New Delhi, motivated by the new Mondo track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
