(Athletics news) With the World Junior Championships having concluded yesterday, India’s sporting future has never looked brighter. Having finished the Tokyo Olympics with their best ever medal haul, it looks like India’s young stars will only make it better at Paris 2024 and beyond with their impressive performances in Nairobi. Previously, the likes of Neeraj Chopra (2016) and Hima Das (2018) have used this platform to kick start their career and there is no reason why the upcoming generation cannot do the same.

Will we see more gold medals at the upcoming Olympic Games? What has changed at the grassroots for the influx of talent at India’s Under 20 level? Let’s explore the 5 athletes that we must keep an eye on based on their performances at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships.

Amit Khatri (Race Walk)

Amit Khatri won India’s 2nd medal at the World Junior Championships. He clocked a time of 42:17.94 seconds to finish behind Kenya’s Heristone Wanyoni, despite leading the race until the final two laps. The 17 year old is already a national record holder and World U20 season leader who experienced breathing difficulties due to high altitude (Nairobi is 1800 m above sea level) which affected Khatri’s performance. The youngster featured in his first international competition and should be pleased with a silver medal, despite being unable to acclimatize to the high altitude. The future is bright for Amit Khatri and he is definitely one to watch out for!

Shaili Singh (Long Jump)

Sports is an industry of fine margins and 17 year old Shaili Singh from Jhansi learned it the hard way at the World Junior Championships. She missed out on the gold medal by one centimetre but still won the silver medal in an extremely impressive display. Her journey so far has been far from easy, raised by a single parent, her mother Vinita took care of three children single handedly. Shaili Singh trains at the Anju Bobby George Foundation and her performance at the World Junior Championship has exceeded expectations despite narrowly missing out on gold to Sweden's Maja Askag who touched down at 6.60m. However, all indications point towards the emergence of India’s new young star and we cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next.

Donald Makimairaj (Triple Jump)

Triple jumper Donald Makimairaj put on an impressive show at the World Junior Championships in Nairobi. He may have missed out on a bronze medal by 0.3 centimeters, but Makimairaj finished with his personal best of 15.82 meters. The 19 year old from Tamil Nadu finished behind Sweden’s Gabriel Wallmark who won gold, Jaydon Hibbert from Jamaica and Simon Gore from France in tough, windy conditions. Donald Makimairaj definitely has the mental strength and temperament to accomplish big things at the highest level and we will follow his career with great interest.

Priya Mohan (400m dash)

A common feature amongst India’s young stars at the World Youth Championships is that they have managed to accomplish their personal best records in Nairobi. Despite Priya Mohan finishing fourth in the World Junior Championships, she accomplished her personal best with a timing of 57.22 seconds but finished behind Nigeria’s Imaobong Uko (51.55s), Poland's Kornelia Lesiewicz (51.97s), and Kenya's Sylvia Chelangat (52.23s). Earlier in the tournament, Priya Mohan won the bronze medal in the 4 x 400 meters mixed relay event and the experience she has gained at such a young age will surely do wonders in more international tournaments to come.

Nandini Agasara (100m hurdles)

The beauty about sports is that it’s a merit based industry. You’re only as good as the work you put in, irrespective of any other circumstances. Nandini Agasara, a tea seller’s daughter made her international debut at the World Junior Athletics Championship after finishing the 100 meter hurdle in 13.96 seconds, with the qualification being 14.15. It’s her sheer hard work, talent and determination that saw her progress all the way to the semifinals after clocking 14.18 seconds. The Telangana girl has everything it takes to make a name for herself in sporting history and as long as she continues working hard, there is no reason for her to not fulfill the immense potential she possesses.

Also read: Long jumper Shaili Singh misses gold by 1cm, wins silver at the U20 World Athletics Championships