Karnataka's Nagini and G M Keerthi Win Gold at National Youth Athletics

Karnataka athletes Nagini and G M Keerthi secured two gold medals on the second day of the National Youth Athletics Championships underway in Ludhiana on Wednesday. Nagini emerged victorious in the women's 1000 metres event, while Keerthi claimed top honors in the women's high jump competition.

Their gold-winning performances on Wednesday have brought both athletes into strong contention for a place in India’s squad for the Youth Olympics, scheduled to be held in November. The selection framework dictates that the top five performers at the three-day national meet will be shortlisted for the Indian contingent, with final inclusion determined by evaluating which athletes present the best medal prospects for the international event.

In the individual performances on the track, Nagini completed the girls' 1000-metre race with a winning time of 2:54.25. In the high jump event, Keerthi cleared the bar at 1.68 metres to finish ahead of the rest of the field and clinch the gold medal for Karnataka.

The competition in Ludhiana also saw top performances across various other girls' track and field events on the second day. In the girls' 400 metres, Sehnoor Bawa representing Punjab clinched the gold medal by registering a time of 54.13 seconds. The girls' 800 metres race was claimed by Tanvi Malik of Uttar Pradesh, who crossed the finish line in 2:12.16. Meanwhile, in the girls' 3000 metres race walk, Haryana athlete Prachi Bishnoi secured the victory with a time of 14:01.53.

The boys' category also concluded several key finals during Wednesday's events. Lodenge Ramu of Telangana topped the boys' 400 metres with a timing of 47.21 seconds. In the boys' 800 metres, Akhil K A of the Navy secured first place after finishing in 1:51.31. Sahil of Rajasthan took the gold medal in the boys' 1000 metres with a mark of 2:25.25. In the field, Dheeraj Sahu of Haryana won the boys' discus throw with a throw measuring 55.85 metres, while Vishnu representing Uttar Pradesh took the title in the boys' 5000 metres race walk in 21:02.81.