Meet Basant Meghwal, India's Latest Teen Athletics Sensation

Indian athletics may have found its next big story.

Less than 24 hours after Ashish Yadav ended India's decade-long wait for a World U20 javelin medal, another teenager has quietly scripted history in Oregon. His name is Basant Kumar Meghwal.

The 19-year-old from Rajasthan soared to a personal-best 2.21 metres to win silver in the men's high jump at the World Athletics U20 Championships, becoming the first Indian ever to finish on the podium in the event at the junior world championships.

The achievement may not carry the same public attention as a Neeraj Chopra throw. But within Indian athletics, it is every bit as significant. For decades, India has struggled to make an impact in the high jump on the global stage. Meghwal has now changed that narrative.

Competing against some of the world's finest young jumpers, he delivered the performance of his life when it mattered most. He cleared 2.06m, 2.12m, 2.17m and finally 2.21m, matching his lifetime best before the medals were decided on countback. Algeria's Younes Ayachi claimed gold after clearing 2.21m on his first attempt, while Meghwal succeeded on his second to secure silver ahead of Great Britain's Otis Poole, who needed three attempts.

The silver crowns what has already been a breakthrough year for the youngster.

Earlier this season, Meghwal won gold at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong with a leap of 2.20 metres, emerging as one of Asia's brightest junior high jump prospects. According to World Athletics, the Indian teenager has climbed rapidly through the junior ranks over the past year, establishing himself among the world's leading Under-20 high jumpers. His 2.21m clearance now stands as his official career best.

His rise also reflects a broader shift in Indian athletics. For years, India's international success was concentrated in a handful of disciplines. Today, medals are beginning to arrive from events that once barely featured in the country's sporting conversation. Javelin has produced an Olympic champion. Steeplechase, race walking, relays and long jump have all begun producing world-class youngsters. Now high jump has entered that conversation too.

The timing could hardly have been better. Only a day earlier, Ashish Yadav had won silver in the men's javelin, becoming only the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to medal in the event at the World U20 Championships.

Together, the two teenagers have underlined the growing depth of India's athletics programme. And the story didn't end there. Later in the championships, Shahnavaz Khan added a bronze in the men's long jump, taking India's medal tally to three and making this one of the country's strongest performances at the World U20 Championships in recent years.

Basant Meghwal, though, the silver medal may prove to be just the beginning. Every generation of Indian athletics seems to discover one athlete who quietly arrives before the spotlight catches up. This week in Oregon, the teenager from Rajasthan may have taken that first leap.

(With inputs from ANI)