National under-20 record holder and defending champion javelin thrower Deepika, 110m hurdlers Kiran K. and Yuvaraj S., pole vaulter S. Kavinraja and under-18 sprinter Aarti Siwach will be among the exciting talent who will be seen in action at the National junior athletics championships, starting at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
More than 2000 athletes, including 950 women, will compete in four age-groups during the five-day competition.
Those who perform well here will earn their places in the Indian side for the South Asian athletics championships to be held in Ranchi from October 24 to 26.
“The South Asian meet will be an excellent exposure for the junior athletes,” said World Athletics (WA) vice-president and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla here on Thursday.
In order to tackle issues of overage and impersonation, the AFI has introduced Unique Identification (UID) numbers and QR codes on the athletes’ bibs.
Published – October 09, 2025 09:00 pm IST
