South Asian Junior Athletics Championship: After missing U20 Worlds with illness, Deepika strikes gold to continue redemption arc
At the South Asian Junior Athletics Championship 2024 here, the Women’s Javelin throw featured only three competitors, ensuring all participants would leave with a medal.
Deepika, from Bangaon, Haryana, dominated the event with all six of her throws exceeding the 50m mark while all but one of her competitors’ throws – that surpassed 50 metres – were in the range of 30 and 40 metres.
Deepika was in a league of her own. Her best throw of 54.98m earned her gold while her training partner Poonam secured silver with a throw of 51.21m.
The previous meet record of 48.08m was broken.
W.G. Nisansala Madubash of Sri Lanka took bronze with only two valid throws, peaking at 35.02m.
At the Khelo India Youth Games 2024, Deepika won gold by throwing her personal best of 56.79m. Despite her strong showing, she had missed the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru due to illness.
In that event, China’s Ziyi Yan won gold with a throw of 63.05m, while Pin-Hsun Chu of Chinese Taipei secured silver with a 54.28m throw—had Deepika thrown her personal best there, a podium finish might have been on cards for her.
“If these throws had been there at the U20 Championships, she could have placed second or third,” her coach Hanuman Singh remarked.
Hanuman, who has trained her since childhood, was optimistic about her future.
“She’s always been consistent and disciplined,” he said. “We’re working toward crossing the 60m mark by 2025, with eyes on the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028.”
Despite being India’s top player in her category, Deepika remains reserved. In between her throws, she was seen calmly sipping her drink, showing little outward emotion. Her interaction with the media was minimal, as she politely told broadcasters and reporters, “Only one question.”
When asked about her performance, she offered a few words: “I came here to break the record,” letting her results speak for themselves.
Poonam, a promising talent who has been training with Hanuman for a shorter period, continues to improve, having thrown over 50m for the first time in this competition. Hanuman is confident both athletes are on a steady path to bigger accomplishments.