Thirty-one men and twenty-nine women from India are competing in the Asian U20 Athletics Championships 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The competition got underway on Wednesday.

Siddharth Choudhary, an Indian athlete in Dubai, is attempting to defend his Asian U20 shot put title, which he took home in Yecheon, Republic of Korea, last year, with a throw of 19.52 metres.

Laxita Sandilea, a middle-distance runner and the current Asian U20 1500m champion, is also competing. Last year, she won the gold with a personal record of 4:24.23.

The World U20 Athletics Championships, which will take place in Lima, Peru from August 27 to August 31, will also be qualified for by competing in the Asian U20 Athletics Championships. Aarti, who was competing in the women’s 10,000-meter race walk, finished in 47:45.33, which qualified her for the U20 World Championships. The required entry time was 49:00.00.

India finished third in the standings of the Asian U20 Athletics Championships, which were held in Yecheon last year, with 19 medals, behind Japan and the People’s Republic of China.

Six gold medals were earned by Bharatpreet Singh in the discus throw, Rezoana Mallick Heena in the 400 metres, Laxita Sandilea in the 1500 metres, Sunil Kumar in the decathlon, and the women’s 4×400-meter relay team among the 19 medals.

Ritik made history on Wednesday by being the first sportsman from India to win a medal at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Dubai in 2024. His best throw in the men’s discus throw was 53.01 metres, earning him the silver medal.

Indians won medals at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in 2024