New Delhi, Aug 21: Odisha athlete Bapi Hansda left for Peru's capital Lima on Wednesday to participate in the World U20 Athletics Championships 2024. He is part of the 43-member Indian squad that aims glory at the global sporting meet.
Eighteen-year-old Bapi will compete in 400m sprint event and he is also a member of Indian men's relay team.
India hopes to improve their medal tally of two Silver and one Bronze medals in the 2022 edition of the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Indian contingent seems to be high on morale after winning 7 Gold, 11 Silver and 11 Bronze medals in the Asian U20 Athletics Championships held in Dubai in April this year.
Prior to the Peru global meet, Indian contingent held preparatory camp for throwing events at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala (Punjab). Athletes of other disciplines practiced at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Campus in Bengaluru, sources said.
The Indian contingent for World U20 Athletics Championships 2024:
Men: Bapi Hansda (400m, relay), Jay Kumar (400m, relay), Sahil Khan (800m), Hariharan Kathiravan (110m hurdles), Nayan Pradip Sarde (110m hurdles), Murad Kallubhai Simran (400m hurdles), Karthika Raja Arumugam (400m hurdles), Sharuk Khan (3,000m steeplechase), Ranvir Ajay Singh (3,000m steeplechase), Himanshu (10,000m race walk), Sachin (10,000m race walk), Mohd Atta Sazid (long jump), Dev Kumar Meena (pole vault), Siddharth Choudhary (shot put), Anurag Singh Kaler (shot put), Ritik (discus throw), Prateek (hammer throw), Dipanshu Sharma (javelin throw), Rohan Yadav (javelin), M Jayaram Dondapati (100m), Ankul (4x400m relay), Rihan Chaudhary (4x400m, mixed relay), Abhiram Pramod (4x400m relay).
Women: Unnathi Aiyappa Bolland (200m,100m hurdles), Neeru Pathak (200m, 400m, 4x400m relay), Anushka Dattatray Kumbhar (400m, 4x400m relay), Laxita Vinod Sandilea (800m/1500m), Ekta Dey (3,000m steeplechase), Shreeya Rajesh (400m hurdles), Aarti (10,000m race walk), Nikita Kumari, Amanat Kamboj (discus throw), Tamanna (shot put), Pooja (high jump), Pavana Nagaraj (long jump), Abinaya Rajarajan (100m, 4x100m relay), Sudheeksha Vadluri (4x100m relay), Neole Anna Cornelio (4x100m relay), Rujula Amol Bhonsle (4x100m relay), Siya Abhijit Sawant (4x100m relay), Sandramol Sabu (4x400m, mixed relay), Kanista Teena Maria Deva Shekhar (4x400m relay), Shravani Sachin Sangle (4x400m, mixed relay.
Can Indian athletes perform better and win more medals in World U20 Athletics Championships 2024 in Peru?
Well, if they can, then India can hope to rope in some of them, groom, train and prepare them for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.
Because a nation with more than 150-crore population, unable to win a single Gold medal in Paris Olympics 2024, has been a huge heartbreak for the Indians.
