World Athletics U20 Championships: National record-holder Pooja Singh headlines 36-member Indian team in Oregon

NEW DELHI: Senior national record holder and reigning Asian champion Pooja Singh will lead India’s challenge at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 as a 36-member track and field contingent gears up to compete at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from August 5 to 9.

According to Olympics.com, the Indian squad comprises 23 men and 13 women and heads into the global showpiece on the back of a historic outing at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, China, where the country finished second behind China with a record haul of 19 medals, including 10 gold.

All eyes will be on the 19-year-old Pooja, who has emerged as one of India’s brightest athletics prospects this season. She clinched the women’s high jump title at the Asian U20 Championships with a clearance of 1.93m, setting a new senior national record and eclipsing the previous mark of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012.

From Neeraj Chopra to Hima Das, the World U20 Championships have launched some of India’s biggest athletics stars.

Now, all eyes are on Pooja Singh.

The 19-year-old high jumper heads to Oregon after smashing India’s senior national record with a 1.93m leap and winning Asian U20… pic.twitter.com/S7pGplQd7i

— Open Magazine (@Openthemag) August 5, 2026

Her gold-winning effort also erased the championship record that had stood since 2006 and secured qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she went on to finish eighth in challenging rainy conditions.

Apart from Pooja, Asian U20 champions Nitin Gupta and Shahnavaz Khan will also spearhead India’s medal hopes in Oregon. Nitin claimed the men’s 5000m race walk title at the continental meet, while Shahnavaz struck gold in the men’s long jump.

More than 1,800 athletes representing 147 member federations are expected to compete in Eugene, making the 2026 edition the largest World Athletics U20 Championships in history and surpassing the previous participation record of 1,558 athletes set at Lima in 2024.

India will also look to improve on its performance from the previous edition in Lima, where a 43-member contingent returned with one medal after Aarti won bronze in the women’s 10,000m race walk.

The World Athletics U20 Championships have produced some of Indian athletics’ biggest stars over the years. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra became the country’s first world U20 champion after winning the men’s javelin throw title with a world U20 record of 86.48m at Bydgoszcz in 2016.

Two years later, Hima Das created history by becoming India’s first track world U20 champion with her gold medal in the women’s 400m at Tampere.

India’s squad for Oregon also features athletes across sprints, middle-distance events, jumps, throws, race walk and relay competitions, reflecting the country’s growing depth in junior athletics as it seeks another successful campaign on the world stage.

Supporting the next generation of athletics stars

We’re happy to announce @UCSSPIRIT as the Official Sports Equipment Supplier of the World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 #WAOregon26 pic.twitter.com/eMo5tUtqDG

— World Athletics U20 Championships Oregon 26 (@WAU20Champs) August 4, 2026

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026 schedule – All timings are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
Wednesday, August 5
100m hurdles heptathlon heats – 10:30 PM
Men’s javelin throw qualification A – 10:33 PM
4x400m mixed relay round 1 – 10:52 PM
Men’s hammer throw qualification A – 11:15 PM
High jump heptathlon – 11:20 PM
Women’s 100m round 1 – 11:24 PM
Men’s javelin throw qualification B – 11:50 PM
Thursday, August 6
Men’s 100m round 1 – 12:14 AM
Men’s hammer throw qualification B – 12:45 AM
Men’s 800m round 1 – 1:05 AM
Women’s long jump qualification – 1:10 AM
Men’s shot put qualification – 1:45 AM
Women’s 800m round 1 – 1:55 AM
Women’s pole vault qualification – 6:30 AM
Women’s discus throw qualification A – 6:30 AM
Women’s 100m semi-finals – 6:35 AM
Shot put heptathlon – 6:50 AM
Men’s 100m semi-finals – 6:58 AM
Women’s 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 7:30 AM
Women’s discus throw qualification B – 7:50 AM
200m heptathlon heats – 8:05 AM
Men’s shot put final – 8:20 AM
Women’s 5000m final – 8:25 AM
Men’s 5000m final – 8:52 AM
4x400m mixed relay final – 9:20 AM
Women’s shot put qualification – 10:30 PM
Women’s 400m hurdles round 1 – 10:32 PM
Long jump heptathlon – 10:55 PM
Men’s 400m hurdles round 1 – 11:15 PM
Men’s high jump qualification – 11:35 PM
Friday, August 7
4x100m mixed relay round 1 – 12:07 AM
Men’s triple jump qualification – 12:20 AM
Women’s 400m round 1 – 12:25 AM
Javelin throw heptathlon – 1:00 AM
Men’s 400m round 1 – 1:10 AM
Men’s 3000m steeplechase round 1 – 2:02 AM
Men’s pole vault qualification – 6:35 AM
Women’s discus throw final – 6:35 AM
800m heptathlon – 6:40 AM
Women’s 1500m round 1 – 7:00 AM
Women’s shot put final – 7:35 AM
Women’s 1500m round 1 – 7:38 AM
Women’s long jump final – 7:58 AM
Men’s 400m semi-finals – 8:12 AM
Women’s 400m semi-finals – 8:35 AM
Women’s 100m final – 9:05 AM
Men’s 100m final – 9:20 AM
Women’s javelin throw qualification A – 10:30 PM
Men’s 100m decathlon heats – 10:30 PM
Women’s hammer throw qualification A – 10:35 PM
Women’s 100m hurdles round 1 – 11:00 PM
Men’s long jump decathlon – 11:15 PM
Women’s high jump qualification – 11:35 PM
Men’s 110m hurdles round 1 – 11:50 PM
Saturday, August 8
Women’s hammer throw qualification B – 12:00 AM
Women’s javelin throw qualification B – 12:07 AM
Women’s 200m round 1 – 12:45 AM
Men’s long jump qualification – 1:13 AM
Men’s 200m round 1 – 1:40 AM
Men’s shot put decathlon – 1:50 AM
Men’s high jump decathlon – 5:30 AM
Men’s hammer throw final – 5:35 AM
Women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals – 7:45 AM
Men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals – 8:10 AM
Women’s 800m semi-finals – 8:35 AM
Men’s triple jump final – 8:55 AM
Men’s 800m semi-finals – 9:00 AM
Women’s 200m semi-finals – 9:25 AM
Men’s 200m semi-finals – 9:48 AM
Women’s 3000m steeplechase final – 10:10 AM
Men’s javelin throw final – 10:15 AM
Men’s 400m decathlon – 10:30 AM
Men’s 3000m final – 10:53 AM
Women’s 400m final – 11:15 AM
Men’s 400m final – 11:23 AM
Men’s 110m hurdles decathlon – 10:30 PM
Women’s triple jump qualification – 10:35 PM
Men’s 5000m race walk final – 10:55 PM
Men’s discus throw decathlon – 11:15 PM
Women’s 5000m race walk final – 11:30 PM
Sunday, August 9
4x400m relay round 1 – 12:10 AM
Discus throw decathlon – 12:25 AM
4x400m relay round 1 – 12:40 AM
Men’s pole vault decathlon – 12:55 AM
Women’s 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:10 AM
Men’s discus throw qualification A – 1:20 AM
Men’s 4x100m relay round 1 – 1:40 AM
Men’s pole vault decathlon – 1:45 AM
Men’s discus throw qualification B – 2:30 AM
Men’s javelin throw decathlon – 6:30 AM
4x100m mixed relay final – 6:35 AM
Men’s high jump final – 6:35 AM
Women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals – 6:45 AM
Women’s Pole vault final – 7:15 AM
Men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals – 7:11 AM
Men’s javelin throw decathlon – 7:35 AM
Men’s 800m final – 7:38 AM
Men’s long jump final – 7:40 AM
Women’s 800m final – 7:53 AM
Women’s 100m hurdles final – 8:05 AM
Men’s 110m hurdles final – 8:15 AM
Women’s 3000m final – 8:25 AM
Men’s 200m final – 8:50 AM
Men’s 1500m decathlon – 9:03 AM
Women’s 200m final – 9:20 AM
Women’s hammer throw final – 12:35 AM
Men’s discus throw final – 12:40 AM
Men’s pole vault final – 12:45 AM
Women’s high jump final – 1:00 AM
Women’s 4x100m relay final – 1:33 AM
Women’s triple jump final – 1:42 AM
Men’s 4x100m relay final – 1:45 AM
Women’s 400m hurdles final – 2:00 AM
Men’s 400m hurdles final – 2:10 AM
Women’s javelin throw final – 2:18 AM
Women’s 1500m final – 2:22 AM
Men’s 3000m steeplechase final – 2:34 AM
Men’s 1500m final – 2:55 AM
Women’s 4x400m relay final – 3:12 AM
Men’s 4x400m relay final – 3:25 AM

World Athletics U20 Championships 2026: India’s entry list
Men: Nitin Gupta (5000m race walk), K. Ambriesh (high jump), Uwin Anand Ananthan (800m), R.C. Jithin Arjunan (long jump), Mohammed Ashfaq (400m), Basant (high jump), T. Dharanidharan (javelin throw), Shahnavaz Khan (long jump), J. Krishna (4x100m relay), Amit Kumar (400m hurdles), Ranjith Kumar (4x400m relay), Nishchay (discus throw), Aditya Pisal (4x100m relay), Nakul Prabhu (4x400m relay), Dhanush Raj (triple jump), Piyush Raj (400m, 4x400m relay), Anshu Rajak (4x100m relay), P. Royshan (triple jump), Sayed Sabeer (4x400m relay), Neil Samraj (4x100m relay), Rudra Shinde (4x100m relay), Mogali Venkatram (800m), Ashish Yadav (javelin throw).

Women: Aarti (4x100m relay), Anshu (shot put), Thiya Arumugam (4x400m relay), G. Bhavana (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Tanu Chaudhary (400m hurdles), Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Tahura Khatun (4x400m relay), Bhoomika Nehate (4x400m relay), Pooja Singh (high jump), Poonam (javelin throw), Ananya Suresh (4x100m relay), Kajal Hirabhai Vaja (4x100m relay). (ANI)