Ordos, July 12 (IANS) India’s Anand Singh announced himself on the international stage in style by breaching the coveted 80m mark for the first time to clinch the men’s javelin throw gold medal at the Asian U23 Athletics Championships 2026 in Ordos, China, on Sunday.

Competing in his first international event, the 22-year-old achieved a personal-best throw of 80.57m. He improved his previous best by 2.89m, becoming the latest Indian javelin thrower to reach the elite 80m club.

The athlete from Uttar Pradesh entered the championships with a personal best of 77.68m, which he set at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on June 28. That mark came in the sixth and final round, allowing him to finish fourth behind Rohit Yadav, Yashvir Singh, and Sachin Yadav.

Anand’s standout performance in China showed a major leap in his growth, as he easily surpassed his previous best to win the gold medal. This highlighted India’s increasing strength in the men’s javelin event.

Earlier this year, Anand also made an impression at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala, where he finished second with a throw of 76.94m. This hinted at the quick improvement that led to Sunday’s defining performance in his career.

Earlier, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) shortlisted a 54-member national track and field team for the inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships in the Chinese city of Ordos from July 9 to 12.

Indian team:

Men: Vibhaskar Kumar, Sam Vasanth S (100m/4x100m relay), Harsh Santosh Raut, Mohamed Shan P, Laukik Anant Melge, Aniket Nalawade (4x100m relay), Abhay Singh (200m), J Pandiyan (200m), Astik Pradhan, Setu Mishra (400m/4x400m relay), Aman Chaudhary, Sharan M, Sahil Malik, Tarandeep Singh (4x400m relay), Shakeel, Vinod Kumar Bhanot (800m), Sakir, Ritik Deol (1500m), Shivaji Parashuram (5,000m/10,000m), Vinod Singh (5,000m), Shailesh Kushwaha (10,000m), Sharuk Khan (3,000m steeplechase), Sudeep (high jump), Mohammed Muhassin (triple jump), Dev Kumar Meena, Kuldeep Kumar (pole vault), Mohd Atta Sazid (long jump), Bharatpreet Singh (discus throw), Shivam Lohakare, Anand Singh (javelin throw), Harshit Kumar (hammer throw), Abhijit Bhosale (decathlon), Sachin G (race walk 21km).

Women: Kiruthika, Akshaya S, V Sudheeksha, Sanjana, Abinaya Rajarajan (4x100m relay), Huidrom Bhumeshwor (800m/1500m), Vaishnavi Rawal (800m), Shreeya Rajesh, Sabita Toppo (100m hurdles), Prachi Devkar (3000m steeplechase), Nitika Anup Akare (pole vault), Shaili Singh (long jump), Vidhi (shot put), Anupriya VS (shot put), Priya (discus throw), Shravani Sachin Sangle (400m hurdles/4x400m relay), Nofisa Khatun, Tahura Khatun, Boomika Nehate, Sandra Mol Sabu, C Janice Stella (4x400m relay), Anamika KA (heptathlon), Aarti (race walk 21km).

–IANS

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