4 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Aug 10, 2026 08:08 PM IST
India’s jumpers hardly ever make a worldwide podium. On Saturday, they did it twice on the U20 World Championships in Eugene, US.
Basant Kumar (19) grew to become the primary Indian high-jumper to win a medal on the U20 Worlds, claiming silver. Shahnavaz Khan (19) adopted with bronze within the lengthy leap, turning into the primary Indian male long-jumper to achieve the rostrum on the championships.
With these two medals, together with Ashish Yadav’s silver within the javelin, India equalled its best-ever haul on the U20 World Championships, matching the tally from the 2021 and 2022 editions.
Basant, who’s coached by former nationwide record-holder Sahana Kumari, equalled his private greatest with 2.21m however misplaced gold to Algeria’s Younes Ayachi on countback. “An enormous second for him and the nation. I all the time knew Basant was going to ship on the large stage,” Sahana Kumari informed The Indian Categorical.
Shahnavaz, who was the title favorite after setting a private better of 8.30m earlier this season, couldn’t replicate that effort as a result of cramps and a heel damage. He nonetheless managed a greatest leap of seven.87m. “My first and second jumps have been high-quality, however after the third leap, I began getting cramps and in addition injured my heel. That grew to become the principle downside. I had come right here hoping to set a private greatest as a result of I used to be in good kind,” he stated.
Basant is a Petty Officer within the Indian Navy and has improved massively beneath the tutelage of Kumari, together with his first breakthrough coming earlier this yr on the Junior Federation Cup. “When he jumped 2.21m on the Junior Federation Cup, I might see that he had improved massively. When he began coaching with me, he used to leap 2.11m,” stated Sahana.
Basant has been on an outstanding run within the 2026 season, successful gold on the Asian U20 Athletics Championships. Hailing from Anupgarh village in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, he’s a part of the rising era of Indian excessive jumpers following Sarvesh Kushare’s exploits on the World Championships, Diamond League and Commonwealth Video games.
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Hailing from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Shahnavaz has been one of many breakthrough lengthy jumpers of the season. Coaching alongside Sreeshankar Murali on the Nationwide Centre of Excellence (NcoE) in Thiruvananthapuram, Shahnavaz introduced himself together with his 8.30m leap on the Inter-State Nationwide Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Whereas his efficiency on the U20 Worlds was not what he had hoped for, a world championship bronze medal at 19 is a powerful begin to his long-jump CV. “At the moment, I used to be solely eager about one factor: one way or the other, I needed to end on the rostrum and win a medal for India. It’s a proud second for me, and I’m pleased that I didn’t miss the chance to win a medal for India,” he stated.
Final yr, when he crossed the 8m mark for the primary time on the World Continental Bronze occasion in Bhubaneswar, Shahnavaz took a second to recollect his late father, Naseemudin. He wrote on his bib, “8+ leap, I miss dad”, as a tribute. “Writing on the again of the bib was my means of paying tribute to my father, who handed away in 2018 due to an ailment. My father drove a jeep to ferry passengers between villages. I miss him,” he had informed this newspaper.
Shahnavaz is now a part of a rising pool of Indian lengthy jumpers. “That is in all probability the perfect yr for the Indian lengthy jumpers general. The competitors has elevated and these kids are pushing one another and me additionally,” two-time Commonwealth Video games medallist Sreeshankar had stated final month on the Inter-State Championships.
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Requested about Shahnavaz, Sreeshankar stated: “He’s a type of guys who would all the time wish to enhance. He works extraordinarily laborious in coaching and after I see his work ethic, it simply tells me how far this man can go.”
