In a historic achievement for Indian athletics,
Meghwal's performance was particularly noteworthy as he cleared the height of 2.21 meters on his second attempt, while the gold medalist, Algeria's Younes Ayachi, achieved the same height on his first attempt. Great Britain's Otis Poole secured the bronze after clearing the same height on his third attempt. All three athletes struggled to surpass 2.24 meters, leading to a countback decision based on their previous attempts to determine the medal standings.
Shahnavaz Khan's Bronze in Long Jump
Adding to India's success, Shahnavaz Khan clinched a bronze medal in the men's long jump with a best effort of 7.84 meters. The 18-year-old athlete delivered his top jump on his third attempt, with his series of jumps recorded at 7.67m, 7.72m, 7.84m, 7.52m, 7.83m, and 5.37m. R.C. Jithin Arjunan also competed in the final, finishing eighth with a jump of 7.59 meters, achieved during his first and fourth attempts. The gold medal in this event went to Italy's Daniele Inzoli, who jumped 7.97 meters, while Australia's Mason McGroder took silver with a personal best of 7.96 meters.
India's medal tally at the championships now stands at three, following Ashish Yadav's silver in the men's javelin throw, which he secured on the previous day. Yadav's achievement made him only the second Indian, after Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, to win a silver medal in javelin at the World U20 Championships. Chopra publicly congratulated Yadav, expressing pride in the young athlete and suggesting that this is merely the beginning of his journey in athletics.
