World Athletics U20 Championships: Ashish Yadav, T Dharanidharan, and Amanat Kamboj reach finals

Eugene (USA): Javelin throwers Ashish Yadav and T Dharanidharan, alongside discus thrower Amanat Kamboj, advanced to the finals following a solid opening-day performance by the Indian contingent at the World Athletics U20 Championships.

Yadav led the field in Group A of the men's javelin qualification with a throw of 69.87 metres, placing second overall behind South Africa's title favourite Jan-Hendrik Heymans, who claimed Group B with a 76.02-metre mark. The 19-year-old Indian holds a personal best and season's best distance of 74.49 metres.

Heymans was the only participant to clear the automatic qualification threshold of 72.50 metres.

Dharanidharan secured his place in the final after finishing fifth in the Group B qualifying round with an effort of 68.07 metres, taking the 12th and final qualifying slot overall.

Competitors clearing the automatic target of 72.50 metres or ranking within the top 12 overall earned spots in Friday's final.

Indian star Neeraj Chopra holds the world U20 record in the discipline, having posted an 86.48-metre throw during the 2016 edition of the championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

In the women's discus, Amanat registered a season's best distance of 52.58 metres to take sixth position in Group A qualification, capturing the 12th and final spot to advance to the decisive round.

China's Su Yixin set the pace across both qualifying groups with a throw of 58.06 metres, while her compatriot Ma Chenyi ranked second with 57.72 metres.

Athletes who breached the automatic qualification standard of 55 metres or finished among the top 12 performers advanced to the final scheduled for later in the evening.

In track events, Mogali Venkatram advanced to the men's 800-metre semi-finals, whereas Uwin Anand failed to progress beyond the opening heat round.

Venkatram placed third in Heat 5 with a time of 1 minute 52.81 seconds to guarantee his semi-final berth. Anand ranked seventh in Heat 1 and 30th overall, recording a time of 1:52.37.

Across the five opening heats, Uganda's Shafeck Murungi posted the fastest qualifying mark, registering a personal best of 1:46.64.

The first five finishers in each heat, alongside the two next fastest runners overall, secured progression to the semi-final phase.

India's 4x400-metre mixed relay team exited the event in the opening round after finishing fourth in their heat with a time of 3 minutes 22.85 seconds.

The quartet comprising Piyush Raj, Tahura Khatun, Sayed Sabeer, and Thiya Arumugam finished 11th overall across the three heats.

The United States recorded the fastest time in Round 1, clocking 3:18.26. The top three finishing teams from each heat advanced to the final.

During the 2022 edition of the biennial competition, India secured a historic silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay, setting an Asian U20 record of 3:17.76, which remains the second-fastest time recorded in world U20 history.

PTI