National Junior Athletics C'ships: Himanshu Jakhar breaks Neeraj Chopra's record

Haryana’s Himanshu Jakhar produced a record-breaking performance on the opening day of the 2025 National Junior Athletics Championships, surpassing Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra’s decade-old meet record in the U18 boys’ javelin throw (700g) at the Kalinga Stadium.

Jakhar achieved a throw of 79.96m, bettering Chopra’s 2014 mark of 76.50m set in Vijayawada. His performance also set a world U18-leading mark in the javelin throw (700g) for 2025.

The day also witnessed another record-breaking display as Mohit Choudhary from Telangana clocked 14:09.71s in the U20 men’s 5,000m, surpassing the previous meet record of 14:12.67s set by Vinod Singh in 2024.

Strong performances were recorded across other events as well. Parth Singh of Jharkhand topped the U20 men’s 100m with a timing of 10.52s, Aarti from Haryana won the U18 girls’ 100m in 11.95s, and Nitika Kumari of Rajasthan claimed first place in the U20 women’s discus throw with a distance of 48.81m.

The championships, held from October 10–14, 2025, at Kalinga Stadium, showcased India’s best junior talent across age groups and disciplines, highlighting the next generation of national athletics stars.

Results:

Boys

U20: 100m: Parth Singh (Jharkhand) 10.52s, Pratik Maharana (Odisha) 10.72s, Jasjit Singh Dhillon (Punjab) 10.79s.

U18: 100m: Aditya Pisal (Maharashtra) 10.71s, Chiranth P (Karnataka) 10.71s, Savin Thingalaya (Karnataka) 10.81s.

U20: 5,000m: Mohit Choudhary (Telangana) 14:09.71s (meet record. previous meet record 14:12.67s set by Vinod Singh in 2024 in Bhubaneswar), Abhinandan S (Maharashtra) 14:19.52s, Dhramraj Jat (Rajasthan) 14:19.68s.

U16: 60m: Abhinanth AB (Tamil Nadu) 6.95s (meet record. previous record 6.99s by D Raj in 2024), Hariyant Pindwal (Uttar Pradesh) 7.03s, Tharun A (Tamil Nadu) 7.04s.

U14: Triathlon (B): Arthi SK (Tamil Nadu) 3147 points (meet record. previous 2802 points), Anushka (Haryana) 2768 points, Adwika KP (Karnataka) 2739 points.

Girls

U18: 100m: Aarti (Haryana) 11.95s, Shourya Ambure (Maharashtra) 12.16s, Prisha Mishra (Haryana) 12.28s.

U20: 100m: Suba Dharsini S (Tamil Nadu) 11.94s, Kajal Vaja (Gujarat) 12.01s, Nipam (Uttar Pradesh) 12.03s.

U20: 5,000m: Sonam Parmar (Madhya Pradesh) 17:20.98s, Pratima Verma (Uttar Pradesh) 18:04.57s, Pooja (Haryana) 18:26.69s.

U20: Discus throw: Nitika Kumari (Rajasthan) 48.81m, Supriya Attri (Uttar Pradesh) 48.15m, Riddhi (Haryana) 47.81m.

U16: 60m: Jilsha Jinil (Kerala) 7.81s, Mihika Surve (Maharashtra) 7.81s, Pratiksha Mugade (Maharashtra) 7.82s.

U14: Triathlon (C): Sara Ghod (Maharashtra) 2511 points, Ritika (Haryana) 2455 points, Sumona Hansda (West Bengal) 2398 points.