Now Reading: Ashfaq breaks U20 national record, reaches 400m semi at Worlds
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Ashfaq breaks U20 national record, reaches 400m semi at Worlds
Mohommed Ashfaq broke the U20 national record to qualify for the men's 400m semifinals at the World Athletics U20 Championships. The 19-year-old clocked 45.81 seconds to finish second behind USA's Jayden DeLeon…
The Story in Brief
Mohommed Ashfaq broke the U20 national record to qualify for the men's 400m semifinals at the World Athletics U20 Championships. The 19-year-old clocked 45.81 seconds to finish second behind USA's Jayden DeLeon in heat 5. Ashfaq bettered his own previous record of 46.05 seconds, set in April. Compatriot Piyush Raj failed to advance.
In the women's discus final, 18-year-old Amanat Kamboj finished sixth with a personal-best throw of 53.24m. Su Yixin of China won gold. Basant qualified for the men's high jump final with a 2.14m clearance. India's other athletes, including Anshu in shot put and Tanu Chaudhary in 400m hurdles, failed to progress.
The Indian Opinion
The coverage of Ashfaq's record rightly celebrates a young athlete's promise, but the narrative often stops there. Indian athletics is dotted with junior champions who vanish into obscurity after age-group success. The real test is not a semifinal qualification at U20 level but whether Ashfaq, Kamboj, and others get sustained coaching, competitions, and funding to break into senior international finals. Will the federation track their progress beyond this meet?
Sources (3): sports.ndtv.com, timesnownews.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
