World Athletics U-20 Championships Day 2 Preview: Dhaliwal aims for gold

Four Indians will be in action at the event on Thursday.

After a remarkabble Tokyo Olympics for the Indian contingent, the focus now should shift to the stars of tomorrow, as the Indian contingent gear up for the World Athletics U-20 Championships. India has sent a 27-member contingent to Nairobi, Kenya. The tournament will take place at the Kasarani Stadium.

The tournament which was earlier scheduled to start on August 17 has started a day later, but will run till August 22. Several Indian athletes are in the running to deliver big performances on the global stage, as they vie to become the stars of tomorrow. The tournament was earlier scheduled for July this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it got delayed to a later date.

The only sad news for Indian fans is that Ann Rose Tomy who qualified for the Women's100m hurdles failed to catch the flight from Kerala, as she has contracted the virus. So, in total, 17 boys and 10 girls have made their way to Nairobi.

The temperature in and around the stadium will remain pretty cool, helping the athletes to put their best foot forward.

The first day for the Indian contingent at the World Athletics U-20 Championships started on a great note. The 4x400m mixed relay team finished first in Heat 1 with a championship record time of 3:29.36. The mixed team consisted of Priya Mohan, Abdul Razak, Summy and Kapil. The Indian team finished second behind Nigeria on timing overall. The finals had not taken place at the point of writing.

Indian shot-putter Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal who has qualified for the finals will be seen in action again on the second day. he finished sixth in the qualifiers and all eyes will be on him as he looks to push for a medal.

The Indian athletes who will be in action on Day 2 at the World Athletics U-20 Championships are as follows:

Men’s 400m hurdles heats (Rohan Gautham, Hardeep Kumar) - 11:55 AM IST

Both Rohan Gautham and Hardeep Kumar will look to push themselves in the 400m hurdles in search of a World Athletics U-20 Championships medal.

Men’s 800m heats (Anu Kumar) - 12:35 PM IST

19-year-old Anu Kumar, who holds a personal record of 1:49:25 in the 800m, will look to give a great account of himself in the Heats and qualify for the finals. The Uttarakhand-born runner clinched the gold medal at the 2018 Junior Asian Athletics Championships and is in good stead to replicate that feat at the World Athletics U-20 Championships. Although he is not in his best form, he is one of the brightest talents in India, especially in middle distance running.

Men’s shot put final (Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal) - 5:50 PM IST

Lastly, shot-putter Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal who finished sixth today in qualifying will look to get closer to his personal best of 19.16 metres in search of a medal.

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