Pooja Singh shatters national record in high jump at World Athletics U20 Championships 2024; qualifies for final

In an inspiring turn of events, 17-year-old Pooja Singh from Haryana’s Fatehbad district has taken the high jump world by storm at the World Athletics U20 Championships 2024. Not only did she secure a spot in the final finishing second in the Group B, but she also broke her own national U20 high jump record, clearing 1.83m.

What makes the achievement even more impressive is Pooja Singh's journey. The daughter of a mason, she began her training at the Parta Sports Academy. Despite facing challenges in training without proper mats or equipments, Pooja pushed through.

She first caught everyone’s attention when she won gold in the U-14 category with a jump of 1.41m.

However, her rise wasn’t all smooth. A quadricep injury forced her to halt her training for over a year. But she came back stronger than ever once she regained fitness. In 2022, Pooja made her presence felt again, clinching gold in the U-16 category at the junior nationals with a record jump of 1.76m. Not one to stop there, she went on to grab another gold in the U-18 category at the youth national championships.

But it was on Thursday night that Pooja Singh really proved her mettle. Having already broken the national record once last year when she cleared 1.82m to earn silver at the Asian U20 Championships, she outdid herself again, vaulting to 1.83m. She is currently placed her second in her qualification group and ninth overall, guaranteeing her a spot in the final.

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World Athletics U20 Championships 2024 women's high jump Group B complete results

1. Barnokhon Sayfullayeva - Uzbekistan - 1.83m - Qualified
2. Pooja Singh - India - 1.83m (NU20R) - Qualified
3. Maelle Gauthier - France - 1.80m - Qualified
4. Ella Oluchi Obeta - Germany - 1.80m
5. Ela Velepec - Slovenia - 1.80m
6. Valeria Smirnova - Estonia - 1.80m
7. Tricia Madourie - Canada - 1.80m (=PB)
8. Claire Lowrey - USA - 1.77m
9. Shanniqua Williams - Jamaica - 1.77m
10. Toby Stolberg - Australia - 1.73m
11. Anna Hrbáčová - Czech Republic - 1.73m
12. Loreta Bērziņa - Latvia - 1.73m
13. Faina Meirmanova - Kazakhstan - 1.73m
14. Naomi Waite - New Zealand - 1.69m

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