Poonam and Juin made impressive strides at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Chennai, winning the women’s U-20 javelin and high jump titles, respectively, with Alice taking home the bronze in the high jump.
Poonam triumphed in the women’s U-20 javelin event, registering a throw of 51.48m after recovering from two initial fouls. Concerned about not making it into the top eight, she focused on securing additional attempts. Her coach, Hanuman Singh, a former javelin thrower, advised her to adjust her throw technique to ensure she landed inside the sector.
“My first thought was to get into the top eight. If I had fouled a third time, I would have been out,” Poonam remarked. “Sir told me to release it a little further inside the sector.”
With her coach’s guidance, she not only continued in the competition but also clinched the gold medal. Poonam acknowledged the need to refine her run-up and correct her tendency to veer right, emphasizing that her recent training has centered on improving her technique to achieve longer throws.
Hanuman introduced Poonam to javelin when she was in Class 10 at a school in Bangaon village, Fatehabad district, Haryana, where she had little prior knowledge of the sport. He took her straight from the classroom to the field, and Poonam expressed gratitude for his decision.
“I really don’t know why he picked me. That’s a question you’d have to ask him, but I’m happy he did,” she said.
Inspired by local senior athletes rather than well-known figures, Poonam revealed that Hanuman also helps cover her competition-related expenses, including travel and equipment costs. The passing of her father in December 2024, shortly before the Junior Nationals, was a significant emotional challenge for her. She recalled competing in Odisha just two days after his death, achieving a silver in the U-18 category.
Now approaching the end of her junior career, Poonam aims to represent India at the senior level, focusing on enhancing her run-up technique for future competitions.
Meanwhile, Juin Mantusa from West Bengal secured the women’s U-20 high jump title, adding to her U-18 gold from the previous year, by clearing 1.71m. She accomplished this feat on her first attempt at each height until reaching 1.74m, where she faced three failures. She won based on countback against teammate Mohur Mukherjee, who also cleared 1.71m but had previous failures.
“I’m not that satisfied. My expectations were higher. My target was 1.75m, but I cleared 1.71m,” Juin stated to Sportstar.
The jumper, who transitioned from gymnastics to high jump, reported feeling better than during the Junior Federation competition, where she had cleared 1.69m. She noted the need to work on her approach speed for improved performance.
S. Alice Deva Prasanna from Tamil Nadu claimed the bronze medal with a jump of 1.65m, despite battling an ongoing injury from 2024. She experienced pain during warm-ups and while taking off, which forced her to adjust her run-up to six strides.
“I couldn’t build up speed. I was feeling pain while taking off, so I had only six strides while jumping. I need to work on moving my run-up further back,” Alice explained.
Alice attributed her injury to the Khelo India Games earlier that year, admitting that practicing an incorrect take-off had worsened her condition. Her bronze medal performance represented a step forward in her recovery, surpassing her previous best of 1.60m at the Indian Athletics Series meet in Chennai on May 10.
As the championships progressed, Tamil Nadu led the medal tally with 13 golds, seven silvers, and 13 bronzes, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 30 medals and Karnataka with 22.
