Athletics gaining popularity across India, it's a great sign for times to come: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated all the athletes who bagged medals in the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi.

Shaili Singh claimed the women's long jump silver medal in the tournament on Sunday. This was India's third medal in the World Athletics U20 Championships, coming after the bronze won by the mixed team in the 4x400m relay and the silver by Amit Khatri in the men's 10,000m race walk.

PM Modi termed India's performance in the showpiece event as a "great sign" for the times to come in athletics.

"Picking speed and success! Congratulations to our athletes for bringing home 2 Silver medals and a Bronze medal at @WAU20Nairobi21. Athletics is gaining popularity across India and this is a great sign for the times to come. Best wishes to our hardworking athletes," PM Modi tweeted.

Until this edition, India had won a total of four medals in the World Athletics Junior Championships, with bronze medals for Discus Thrower Seema Antil (2002) and Navjeet Kaur Dhillon (2014) and gold medals for Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra (2016) and 400m runner Hima Das (2018). India has nearly matched that tally here.

India finished 21st on the medal table, aware that a gold medal would have lifted it to the top 15.

Coming back to Shaili Singh, the athlete's slight wind-aided effort of 6.59m was only 1cm short of the gold medal jump by Sweden's Maja Askag but her silver medal ensured that Indian athletics continues to showcase the progress it has been making.