Who is Shahnavaz Khan? All you need to know about young Indian long jumper who breached 8m mark

Shahnavaz Khan is a young Indian long jumper in the making.

Long jumper Shahnavaz Khan is in the news headlines for his breakthrough performance at the 1st Indian Open 2025. The World Athletics Bronze level competition took place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on August 10.

Shahnavaz joined the elite list of Indian players to cross the 8m mark in the men’s long jump and rose to prominence in the Indian track and field circuit.

Who is Shahnavaz Khan?

Shahnavaz grew up in Madhaipur village in the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, where his father drove a taxi. Interestingly, the 17-year-old was inspired by his uncles, who are also athletes. His uncles – Sharuk Khan, a former National Games champion in 3000m steeplechase, and Mohammad Hadees, a former javelin thrower.

As per Shahnavaz, Hadees was an army athlete in javelin throw, and he would take him to run and exercise. However, he couldn’t take up javelin throw due to a lack of facilities in their village for the sport. Meanwhile, he gained interest in the long jump after competing in several local events.

He lost his father at the age of 10 due to cancer. Two years later, he was sent to the Sports Authority of India centre in Panvel, Mumbai, by his uncle Mohammad Hadees.

Shahnavaz trained at the facility for three years and participated in various state-level tournaments, returning with podium finishes on several occasions. Then, his coach advised him to try his luck for training at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

Although he passed the trials and trained in Patiala, the coaches’ decision to convert him into a decathlete did not find approval from the long jumper.

After he left the facility, he asked junior jumps program coach Keerti Tiwari whether he could train under her at the National Centre of Excellence in Bangalore. Keerti agreed and soon realised that Shahnawaz’s body and muscles were perfect for the long jump.

Shahnavaz Khan’s career so far

Shahnavaz Khan was off to a flying start, producing a terrific performance in his first tournament, the Junior U20 Federation Athletics Championships in March 2024.

He finished second with a jump of 7.41m and was selected in the Indian team for the Asian U20 Championships to be held in Dubai in April. In his first international event, Shahnavaz finished fifth with a jump of 7.39m.

The Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in June saw Shahnavaz finish at a disappointing 12th place with a jump of 7.27m. However, he bounced back with a 7.72m jump and secured the gold medal at the Junior Athletics Championships in December.

Shahnavaz returned with a jump of 7.70m at the National Games 2025 in Dehradun, which took place in February. He won the gold medal at the 2025 edition of the Junior U20 Federation Athletics Championships in Prayagraj in June with his then personal best performance of 7.90m.

How did Shahnavaz Khan perform at the Indian Open 2025?

Shahnavaz Khan broke his own U18 national record at the Indian Open 2025 in Bhubaneswar. He clinched a silver medal with a jump of 8.04m. Interestingly, he had two consecutive fouls in the second and third attempts, but went past the elusive 8m mark in his fourth attempt.

With this performance, Shahnavaz holds the No. 1 spot in the U18 Asian rankings, No. 2 in the U18 world rankings, and No. 4 in the U20 world rankings.

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